Lost
by KaosLord
Summary: [COMPLETED] The world of MapleStory is threatened by Kronos, the Crimson Balrog bent on taking over the world. When Akuji is possessed by a demon servant, the heroes of Maple must unite to defeat Kronos, and maybe even Akuji. Summary sucks, I know...
1. Chapter 1

Lost

by Chaos Flare

AN: Alright! This is my first fanfiction in the MapleStory section, but I've written before. I have a lvl 30 Hunter in the game right now, but I'm lvling quickly. Please read on, and I hope you enjoy... Lost! Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story. I wish I did though. Of course... If I did own MapleStory this wouldn't be fanfiction... Oh well. Read on!

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The arrow soared stealthily through the air. It pierced through the forehead of an undead mushroom, creating a grotesque sight. A figure darted forward, pausing only to pluck the arrow from the corpse. The person darted forward, jumping nimbly from platform to platform in the small light of the Ant Tunnel. Unseen behind the first figure, another person ran quickly behind. The first figure's features became visible forthe briefest of moments as he passed through the dwindling light of a torch. He had gray eyes that shone with a confident energy. His black shaggy hair fell around his face. He ran on as his stalker edged carefully around the edge of the light. The first person's destination was apparent when the huge limestone archway of the Cursed Shrine came into view. He leaped forward, into the dark entrance. 

The man crouched quietly just inside the entrance to the Cursed Shrine in the Center of Dungeon. He gripped his bow, the Dark Arund, tightly. He was a Ranger, one of the best. He peered around the corner and into the shrine. Two Jr.Balrogs were sleeping near the wall. He fitted an arrow into his bow. "Here we--," he muttered, but was interrupted.

"Hey Akuji! Whatcha doin'?" a feminine voice asked cheerfully, and to Akuji's dismay, loudly. He turned around quickly and pushed the person back against the wall. The balrogs grunted, and began to stir. Akuji threw a look back at the balrogs, then turned to the intruder.

"Damn! What the hell do you--?" he started to reprimand vehemently but stopped when he saw who it was who had spoken. "Tatum? What are you doing here? It's dangerous!" It was one of his friends, a cleric named Tatum. She was still rather weak, and had taken to following Akuji around and recieving training from him. Akuji had no problems with this, but intrusions such as these tended to annoy him slightly.

"Well, I saw you go into the Dungeon, and I decided to follow you in case you needed a cleric." Tatum answered. She did not mention that she had trailed him all the way from the hotel, as she was rather proud of this because Akuji prided himself on the ability to lose any tracker. She was a proud, beautiful, and confident girl with long, curly brown hair. She had gathered many fans around the islands of Victoria, Maple, and Ossyria (and secretly, Akuji was slowly joining them). She stepped closer to him and lightly kissed him on the cheek. "So, hunting Jr.Balrogs again? So I was right to come huh? How're we gonna do this? You slip in and snipe 'em with arrows and I provide back-up with healing and Holy Arrow. Yeah, that'll do!" She whispered cheerfully.

Akuji blushed bright red, and he was glad it was dark. "Umm, uh, yeah, okay-- No! I mean, uh-- I want you to go back to the surface!" He stammered. Tatum sensed his weakness and dove in.

"Awww, come on Akuji! Pleeeeeeease!" She put on her best puppy-dog face, which was enough to melt the heart of the coldest of warriors.

Akuji sighed. "Al-alright. Just stay in the back and try not to get hurt, okay?" He whispered. He turned around and slipped into the Cursed Shrine. Tatum followed quickly.

The balrogs were pacing around the room. Akuji jumped up onto a pillar and aimed his bow. The arrow shot off with a satisfying twang. One of the balrogs roared in pain and pulled an arrow from its chest. It flew into the air and shot towards Akuji. He cursed and leaped into the air. "Soul Arrow!" A golden arrow appeared in the bow, and he released it, directed at the balrogs heart. It flew through the air astonishingly fast. It struck true. This attack enraged the balrog further. Akuji lifted his bow again, this one loaded with two arrows. He let the arrows fly, aiming at the balrog's chest. These too hit the target but did not stop the balrog's furious charge. Akuji aimed one final arrow and shot it. It flew through the air as the balrog charged forward to meet it. It struck the balrog in the head. It seemed to be dead, though it was going to fast to stop. It slammed into the pillar, causing Akuji to fall forward. The pillar tipped forward then with a large crack, it fell to the ground. Akuji landed behind it.

Tatum had squared off against the other balrog. "Let's go!" She challenged. "Holy Arrow!" She yelled. A shimmering arrow erupted from her bow, striking the balrog. It turned and darted towards her. "Holy Arrow!" She yelled again. This one caused little effect, if not angering the balrog further. She attacked again, with the same result. The balrog shot forward claw outstretched. It slashed Tatum, knocking her back into the wall. "Damn. It's tou--!" The balrog attacked again, lifting her into the air and slamming her into the wall. "Hea--" She started to cast a spell that would heal herself, but the balrog slammed into the wall again. "Teleport!" She spat out. She disappeared from the balrog's grasp. She reappeared a few feet away. She turned to ready another spell, but the balrog was already behind her. It swiped at her, but Tatum held her ground. "Holy Arrow!" She called. The spell hit the balrog and it fell to the ground, dead.

"Congratulations... You managed to kill a Jr.Balrog. I wonder how you'd manage to fare against me?" A deep voice growled from behind her. She turned to face the voice, but a huge claw struck her across the face. She fell to the ground, almost dead. The claw picked her up. She looked up into the eyes of what she thought must be her imminent death. What she saw shocked her. A Crimson Balrog held her loosely in his hand. His ape-like face contorted into a rough smile. "Hello..." It growled in its deep and gruff voice. Tatum screamed, a vicious scream of terror and surrender, one that showed she knew her time had come as she released one final shriek of terror.

Akuji turned, expecting the other balrog to be right behind him. But it was lying dead at the feet of, to Akuji's horror, a Crimson Balrog. It was strangling in its immense claws, a dying girl. "Wha-what the--- NO! TATUM!" Akuji called. The balrog turned to face him and grinned. He fitted an arrow to his bow and shot it at the monsters hands.

It quickly tossed Tatum at Akuji and knocked the arrow away, where it fell to the ground with a depressing clatter. "I believe this belongs to you," It sneered. The beast grinned ghoulishly. "Hehe..."

Akuji caught Tatum and cradled her in his arms. "N-n-n-no! Tatum! H-how?" He asked as though his heart had been rended in half.

Tatum grinned and coughed. The small cough turned to a huge fit, which ended in a blood seeping from her lips. "Akuji... heh. I killed that other balrog for you..." She coughed again, and Akuji started to cry. "But... it was tough... heh. I think I might be strong enough to become a Priest now, Akuji. Isn't that great?" She asked quietly. Akuji sobbed, and his tears fell on Tatum's face. "A-a-Akuji... don't cry! It's--it's okay... that Crimson Balrog is tough. But, once we get out of here... we can go talk to Grendel... I can get my 3rd job advancement, and... and we can be happy! I mean... you can be happy... Heh, 'cause I don't think I'll make it outta here. I mean, look at me... Just be happy Akuji... please... for me... be happy..." She broke off and her eyes grew distant.

"NO! T-t-Tatum! Please, I'm not leaving without you... Please... don't die!" He sobbed. Tatum's eyes lost their shine, and her body went limp. "Tatum... I will...avenge you!" Akuji turned to the balrog. "YOU!" He roared.

The Crimson Balrog smirked. "Well, that was fun. It's always interesting to listen to the dying words of weaklings," He said cynically. "I am Kronos, leader of the Balrogs, Crimson and Junior." He stared at Akuji with passive eyes. "I do believe it _isn't_ a pleasure to meet me..."

Akuji glared at the beast. "I don't care who you are! All I care about is destroying you!" He bellowed. He leaped backwards into the air, roaring in anger while releasing arrows with a harrowing speed from his Dark Arund. Kronos held his wings in front of him protectively, shielding himself from the stinging bite of the arrows. Akuji dashed around Kronos's side, swiftly approaching Tatum's pale corpse.

Kronos's wings flew open as he bellowed in rage, the arrows embedded in the wings ricocheting around the limestone cavern. "I don't think so!" Kronos bellowed. He lunged after Akuji, successfully grabbing his legs and throwing him into one of the towering marble pillars.

Akuji groaned. He held up his bow and prepared himself for an attack. "Arrow Rain!" Arrows flew from the air, buzzing angrily like wasps. Kronos staggered through the cavern, seeking refuge from the bombardment from the arrows. Akuji stumbled across to Tatum's lifeless body and tied it to his back.

Kronos roared in anger. "Enough!" The arrows stopped; Kronos stomped towards Akuji. "This has gone on long enough! I have had enough of this foolish fighting! You cannot stop me!"

Akuji pulled a strange stone out. "I summon... Silver Hawk!" A huge silver hawk erupted from the stone and flew towards Kronos. It shrieked in fury and dove at the monster, its sharp talons and beak tearing at any flesh it could find. Akuji dashed from the cavern and fled throughout the Dungeon, seeking the path to the surface. He finally reached Ant Park, and staggered up the stone steps towards the opening into the light. Kronos burst through the ground, shards of rock flying through the air like shrapnel. Akuji was flung forwards, skidding to a halt just yards away from the exit to Sleepywood. Kronos stomped ominously towards Akuji, wings outspread, casting an eerie light upon the cavern.

"Foolish human... No man has ever fought me and lived... Yet, you could be of some use to me... Very well, little mortal, I shall cast upon you a fate worse than death," Kronos muttered. He picked Akuji up and the demon's eyes flashed. Akuji screamed in pain as Kronos carved a strange rune upon his back.

XxX

A group of villagers crowded around the prone body of the young man. An old man pushed forward to the front of the crowd, jostling people out of the way. An old woman, his wife, one would presume, followed. The man crouched down next to the body and felt for a pulse. "Still alive I see... A miracle in itself..." He muttered. The old woman croaked something and he nodded his agreement. "Yes, I recognized the balrog too..." The old man cautiously flipped the unconcious man onto his back. The old man drew a dagger and cut a rip in the shirt. He drew in a sharp intake of air and sighed. "It's already begun..."

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AN: Okay! First chapter! Yeah! Review please! Revision: If there's any inconsistencies in the storyline, review and tell me, I'm working on revising the rest of the chapters so... review!  



	2. Chapter 2

AN: Alright here we go, another chapter. Thanks to Akein, my first reviewer, and I hope I managed to keep all of what you said in mind. Okay, on to the story, oh and: Disclaimer: I do not own MapleStory (I wish) nor do I own any towns, monsters, items, or places related to MapleStory. Revision: Heres we go! Um, A note: I'm probably gonna, like, write a whole new chapter and maybe and epilogue. I'm gonna go off on tangents and stuff I didn't really explain much about in the original... But, anyways, here's another revised chapter!

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_Akuji floated in his self-concious, unaware of anything going on outside his own mind. His memories were blank, he could feel nothing of his past. An archway floated into view. It had a gothic architecture, though a dark presence seemed to lurk behind the threshold. He floated towards it, his curiousity aroused, as well as a deep primal fear of what dwelled beyond the arch. A menacing voice broke through his thoughts. 'That is not of your concern!' Akuji was thrusted backwards, spinning away from the arch. He slammed into another door, this one somewhat familiar. He reached toward the doorknob when an image flashed through his mind. A creature with wings outstretched walked towards him, a limp body hanging from its vice-like grip...  
_

Akuji woke with a jerk, rubbing his eyes feebly in the sunlight. He started to get up, when a fierce pain in his side forced him back down. He drew a sharp breath and looked down to see where the injury was. A bandage was wrapped around his chest. He groaned and carefully sat up. He looked around in order to get a clear view of his surroundings. He was laying in a small hammock, which was tied between two trees in the middle of a clearing. A small pile of herbs lay to the side of the clearing. There was a small pond near the center. An old woman sat mumbling as she cleaned some bandages. Another person, an elderly man, sat with his eyes closed in the center of the clearing. "Ah, good, you're awake. I am Druce, and this is my wife, Alda." The woman looked up quickly, mumbled something then turned back to the bandages.

Akuji attempted to stand but the pain shot through his sides and he fell back down on the hammock. "Wh-where am I?" he asked quietly. The old woman mumbled something again. "A-and what is she saying?" he asked, bewildered.

Druce laughed. "She says you are a fool to have fought that Crimson Balrog on your own, and you are lucky to be alive. And that you are outside of Sleepywood. In what we call 'home'." Druce laughed again. "But, you **are** lucky to be alive. That balrog could have destroyed the whole town. But it didn't. Alda and I think you might know why that might be." Druce stood up and gathered some herbs. "While we boil these herbs and make dinner, you can tell us what happened," Druce scooped water from the pond into a pan and quietly built a fire.

Akuji gathered his courage and delved back into his mind. The same doorway stood before him, blocking him from the rest of his memories. The same image appeared in his mind and he left his thoughts, shaking. A raking fit of coughs took him and he waited until they had abated before he looked at Druce and Alda. "I... remember nothing..."

Druce sighed. "I was afraid of that. When the villagers and I found you, you were blood-stained and ragged, your bow lying in pieces beside you. The footprints of a Crimson Balrog wove around you. We found the corpse of a girl lying nearby."

"W-who?" He asked, afraid to get an answer.

"A member of our party recognized her. She said she was staying in her inn for the night, but had disappeared around midnight. She said her name was Tatum..." Druce paused, expecting a remark from Akuji. His face was blank, so the old man drove on. "Crimson Balrogs haven't been seen in this area for hundreds of years. Whether we like it or not, I believe something of importance is about to happen..."

Akuji looked from him to Alda, who was still stirring herbs in a large pot. Akuji thought back, trying to make a connection from this girl, Tatum, to his past. His search drew up nothing, so he resigned himself for another question. "But what does this have to do with me? I just want to find my memories and get on with my life! I don't want to have to go on an epic quest to stop this balrog! I'd rather leave Victoria Island, maybe go to Ludibrium or Orbis and live in peace!"

Druce frowned. "Wouldn't we all... But I'm afraid the situation is far more complicated than that! If all the heroes from the past decided they didn't want to fight, and ran away from their battles, where would we be?"

Akuji shook his head. "I don't care! From the fragment of a memory that I have, that... that... beast is far beyond my power to stop!"

Druce's face contorted in fury. "So you would leave us all to die at the hands of a beast?"

"Yes!"

Druce sighed. "Apparently I was wrong about this generation, Alda. It appears that the true qualities of a hero have been lost to time..."

Alda babbled something Akuji couldn't hear, which only infuriated him more. "Dammit! I can't take this anymore! I'm leaving!" He stomped over to the pile of his armor, enraged further that he found it in shreds. He pulled on the tattered remnants of his armor and stalked off towards Sleepywood.

Druce frowned. "You did not tell him of the marking on his back. The one that singles him out as a demon... The one placed on him by the Balrog, Kronos."

She quickly turned around. "There is no need. He is already ladened by too many burdens. If he knew what he might become... It might kill him." As she said this, far away in the distance, the Mark of the Balrog upon Akuji's back gleamed evilly in the darkness

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AN: Another chapter done. Who are Alda and Druce, and do they know more than they show? What is Akuji's fate? I don't know! Well, actually I do, but I'm not telling! -Sticks toungue out- Please R&R! I really appreciate it! Again, kudos to Akein for his helpful review. 'Til the next we meet! Muahahahaha! Revision: Here's the dealio my peeps, I'm gonna delete all the other chapters that I haven't revised yet, and totally rewrite the whole story! Won't that be fun! Yeah! More work for me, but hey, for you its nothing. Just sit and read, then write a two-sentence review about how awesome it was! Well, I'm off to find sugar! It's my anti-drug! No, wait... Sugar is my drug! Muahahahaha! Review please!  



	3. Chapter 3

AN: Okey-dokey! I'm back after a long vacation in the middle of nowhere (specifically a small town in Arkansas) wherein I am completely cut-off from modern society and technology (except for an IPOD and a PSP). Okay, thanks to my reviewers, Shy Guy 32 and Akein. Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story, nor its towns, characters, or monsters. On to the story! I hope!

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The market of Sleepywood was lively even in the early morning, as Akuji wove through the crowds, searching for a vendor who's wares were helpful to him. Merchants hawked their wares, trying to outdo their competitors. "Get your Hwabi stars here! Ya can't buy em anywhere else folks, unless ya wanna take down Zombie Mushmom on your own of course!" Assassins flocked to this vendor, creating a mob of pandemonium. Akuji shouldered his way through the mob and came to a merchant who had a rather large group of people outside his stand. 

"Selling armor and weapons at cheap prices! For all you bums without any money! C'mon! Real cheap here!" Akuji finally reached the front of the crowd and surveyed the goods strewn across the vendor's area.

"You call these wares? You only have beginner stuff!" Akuji accused.

The vendor looked up, a gleam in his eyes. "Ah, a ranger... We don't see many of you around these parts... I see you are in desperate need of some new armor... Here, follow me. I'll tell my assisstant to take over here and I'll show my... higher priced goods..." Akuji nodded and stepped through the flap of the vendors tent. A few people were wandering around, looking at the weaoins and armor laid carefully out. Akuji walked over to a shelf of bowmen armor. He inspected the clothes, then pulled out a Dark Ades. He moved on to the next shelf, this one carrying bows. He picked out a Metis, then walked over to the closed off area of the tent that served as a dressing room. Moments later, he walked out, his dark, disheveled hair splayed over the black robe. He walked quickly to the vendor.

"How much will this all cost me?"

"Hmm... About 600k." The vendor smiled.

Akuji's eyes flared a deep red, and unbeknownst to him, the Mark of the Balrog burned brightly. Akuji shoved the merchant into the cloth wall of the tent. "How much was that again?" In scarcely a second, he plucked an arrow from his quiver, fitted it into his Metis, and held it underneath the man's chin.

"I-its free!" The vendor stuttered, quivering with fear.

An evil smirk appeared on Akuji's face, and he threw the man through the tent. The vendor landed in the throng of people surveying his goods. Akuji sauntered through the crowd, people moving out of his way. He reached the edge of Sleepywood, then passed into the jungle, heading towards Henesys. He remembered nothing of his threatening the vendor.

XxX

The morning mist rolled through the quiet jungle outside of Sleepywood. It was still dark, and most people were still sleeping, so the monsters that dwelled in the jungle were left in peace. The Jr.Neckis raced each other through underbrush while the Green and Horny Mushrooms paced back and forth on their respective platforms. Suddenly, a shadow flicked through the air. The Jr.Neckis paused, looking around for signs of danger. Another rustle in the trees. The Neckis darted onwards, hopefully away from danger. In the flash of an instant, a throwing star erupted from the bushes and embedded itself in the body of one of the Jr.Neckis. The other flicked away, trying to get as far away from whatever killed its kin. A shadow shot by it and the Jr.Necki skidded to a halt. A man stood in front of the small snake, and an Ilbi Star hung loosely from his hand. The man grinned in a cocky way and threw the star. The Necki dodged this star and turned to run. The man threw another. It struck the Jr.Necki in the neck and the snake fell forward with a forlorn deathcry.

The mist dispersed, and sunlight glinted down on the man. He wore his blonde hair in the catalyst style, a Dark Pireta Hat perched upon his head. He wore a Dark Pirate Top, Purple Osfa Pants, and Dark Pirate Shoes. He yawned then grinned again in the same cocky attitude. His name was Ryker, a Hermit, and (in his opinion) the strongest thief in Victoria and Ossyria. He had a Casters equipped and he was in the height of his game. He strolled lazily through the jungle, quickly slaughtering any monsters that crossed his path. He jumped from platform to platform, destroying the inhabitants. He reached the highest platform, then stopped for a rest. Ryker lounged about, quietly studying his finger nails and grinning his cocky grin. A noise in the distance caused him to look up startled. Several monsters were screaming, and an explosion rocked the jungle. As Ryker struggled to regain balance and try not to fall from the ledge, he saw a man run from the jungle, monsters streaming behind him. Ryker frowned. _This is my spot to train! What's that little weakling doing here? _He thought. _I'll just have to go down there and get 'im to leave._ With a smile, Ryker leaped from the platform, blonde hair streaming behind him, as the man rushed onwards with monsters in quick pursuit.

XxX

Akuji stealthily manuevered through the underbrush, his Metis clenched tightly in his hand. He leaped quietly up onto a small platform. Below him, the platform was teeming with mushrooms. He steadied his bow, and pulled an arrow from his quiver. "Arrow Rain!" He yelled. The monsters looked up in surprise as hundreds of arrows fell from the sky and killed the monsters. Akuji sighed. Most of these monsters were far too weak for him. He thought back on what Druce and Alda said. Akuji searched his mind for anything that might unlock any memories. When the search turned up empty, Akuji slipped down and picked up the mesos dropped by the monsters. He grinned. "Heh, that was easy." He pocketed the money and ran onwards, looking for more easy prey.

He slowly became aware of a low thumping sound, coming from behind him. He turned and froze with fear. The sound was one that terrorized many people in their dreams. Four Jr. Balrogs were flying towards him, eyes alight with fury and bloodlust. Akuji looked down and notices that a huge number of monsters were runnong towards him in a frenzied stampede. The ground shook with their footsteps. They appeared to be running from the balrogs, and Akuji quickly turned and ran forward, not wanting to be trampled by the monsters or killed by the balrogs. He turned around quickly and noticed the monsters were gainingon him. In an effort to slow the monsters, he raised his bow and aimed it at the monsters. "INFERNO!" He bellowed. Fire rained down upon the monsters, causing many to die, but more just took their place.

The balrogs were hit as well, though Akuji doubted the attack did much damage. The balrogs slowed, pain evident on their faces. "METEO!" They shouted as one. Akuji shook his head. He couldn't have understood them, they have a seperate language, one he had never learned. It was comprised of grunts and clicks. Akuji looked up and saw the effects of the balrogs' spell. Huge meteors fell from the sky, directed towards him. On impact, they caused a huge explosion that caused the whole jungle to shake. Akuji turned and ran all-out, only managing to keep a few feet ahead of the other monsters hoping to escape the huge rain of death. He raced forward, looping through the trees, dodging meteors as they fell down. As he ran on, he noticed a man was falling down towards him. He landed beside him and Akuji looked over at him. The man started running alongside Akuji, keeping up easily.

XxX

"Dude, who are you?" Ryker asked as he ran beside the man. He was a bowman (It was a dead giveaway since he was carrying a bow), and had black disheveled hair. He had gray and distant eyes. The bowman carried a Metis, proving he was no beginner.

The man quickly glanced over at Ryker. "Akuji. You?" He asked casually, as if there weren't a parade of monsters behind them. Ryker glanced behind them and saw the enormity of the stampede, though not seeing the cause of the earth-shaking run.

Ryker sighed and answered Akuji's question. "Ryker. Why are you running from these monsters? I'm guessing you're strong enough, they should be no prob' for you!"

"I'm not running away from them, I'm running with them!" Akuji said calmly.

"Oookay. Why?" Ryker asked. The monsters had caught up with them, and as they talked, streamed past them. They slowed to a jogging speed, then gradually a halt.

"I'm running--" He paused as he breathed deeply to catch his breath. "From them!" As he said this he pointed to the balrogs as they erupted from the trees.

Ryker eyes bulged and he stepped backwards. "Damn. I haven't seen any of them around here before." He took out a Hwabi Star. "You ready?" Akuji nodded. "Right then. Here we go!" Ryker leaped up to throw the star at one of the balrogs, but it lifted up a hand and swung it at Ryker knocking him back. He landed on his back, and his Dark Pireta flew off his head.

All of the balrogs raise their hands in a preparatory stance. "METEO!"

Akuji shivered. "There! Did you understand what they just said?"

Ryker shot a bewildered look at Akuji. "Wha' are you talking 'bout? It just sounded like the same old grunt to me." The bowman was beginning to bewilder Ryker, first he shows up with four balrogs on his tail, then he acts like he can understand their language.

Akuji sighed. "Man... why can I understand--"

"HOLY CRAP! RUN!" Ryker bellowed. Akuji glances up. His mouth pops open in amazement. "GO!" Ryker calls. Akuji couldn't move. He stood frozen in fear as a huge meteor descended slowly down upon them...

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AN: Sigh... I brought in Ryker, a Hermit, and now Akuji and Ryker have to duel with four balrogs. Next chapter will be fun to write! Alright to answer my reviewers questions:  
Akein: Thanks for the compliments, I really appreciate 'em. He doesn't have any money, so he can't buy new armor, so that's why he still wears it.  
Shy Guy 32: Yes... there are alot people not good at summaries (I am among them, and first and foremost 'cause I suck the most). Yeah, I know if you die you only lose exp, but I mean, it'd be weird if Akuji goes through everything to beat Kronos and then when he's finally beat him, Tatum pops up and says: Hey, Akuji! Guess what! I'm still alive! I just lost some exp! Cool huh! Anyway, please R&R. I really appreciate your noble contribution of criticism and sarcastic wit. Good-bye, and so long for another day! (Cloud of Smoke billows up) (Chaos Flare emerges coughing) Uh, whoops I was supposed to run then wasn't I? (Runs away) REVISION/UPDATE/NEW: Yeah... Oh, Hwabi stars are the newest throwing stars. They've got four crescent blades on each side and are wicked cool. +27 attack. Rejoice Assassins! But then get sad because they're only in MapleSEA. But, MapleSEAers, they only drop from Zombie Mushmom. Anyways, review please!  



	4. Chapter 4

AN: Takes a deep breath Okay. After what I call a less than successful chapter, I have written another. It has been written slowly, so I don't rush it. Here we go... Disclaimer: I do not own Maple Story. Nuff said. Nuff said. Revision: Yos my homies. I'm bored so I'm gonna start chapter 4... Read and Review please!

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As Akuji stared up at the meteor, time seemed to freeze. Ryker's frantic screams faded from his ears, the only noise he heard was the drumbeat of his heart. Surprisingly, it was not thumping away to the tune of a fast beat. It was merely plodding along to a sad waltz. Then, as he stood, frozen by the sight of thousands of tons descending upon him, a voice sounded in his head. _You have no chance... Accept your fate... You have failed... _The voice said. 

Another voice sounded in the back of his head. _Why? I mean, why should I just sit back and watch myself die? And, what have I failed at? I mean, seriously, was I even really supposed to be doing anything? A quest? And who are you?_

_I am no one. You have failed at the attempt to defeat Kronos... Ruler of the Balrogs and soon to be Destroyer of Human Race!_

_Hmm... When did I try to beat this Kronos? And just who is Kronos? I've never even heard of him before. If he was so all-powerful, you'd think they'd at least tell me about him.  
_

_Fool... You swore to kill him, or die trying!_

_Whatever... I don't remember that..._

_No matter... you are to die now anyway... your fate has come... you have failed!_

_What have I failed at anyway? I didn't want that stupid quest that Druce guy and that weird old lady told me about! I don't want to be a hero! I just want my memories! _

_Yes, but if you had your memories, would you sit back and let destiny play out? Or would you join the forces at work here?_

_What do you mean? Can... can you give me my memories back?_

_I might be able to..._

_Then please! Do it!_

_Alright, but you may hate me for it..._

Akuji's mind flooded with images. A single memory became prominent, then all Akuji could see in his minds eye was the memory. A beast loomed in front of him. Akuji immediately identified it as a Crimson Balrog. A corpse lay on the ground near the balrog, its ragged and bloody body in a fatalistic pose. Its empty eyes stared out into the distance, then they seemed to swivel until they gazed deep into Akuji's eyes. A void opened in the dead girl's eyes, a void showing the whirlpool that was the afterlife, a teeming mass of death and grief, a sanctuary for those who died before their time. The girl was familiar, she stirred something in him. Recognition flashed through his mind...

_No!_

Akuji snapped out of his trance. He swiftly ran towards Ryker who was quickly foraging through the trees ahead. "RYKER! WAIT UP!" Akuji bellowed as he sped towards him. Akuji glanced backwards and saw how close the meteor was to reaching the ground.

Ryker turned to glance back at Akuji. He paled with horror, and he stopped at his desperate attempts to break through the underbrush. "Akuji! Behind you!" He screamed in panic.

Akuji glanced backwards for a split-second, and was face to face with a balrog. It came hurtling out of the air, diving towards Akuji. "What the--" Akuji was grabbed around the waist. The Jr.Balrog had caught up with him and was carrying him back to the site of the impending meteor crash. "Let me go! It's... gonna... hit... us!" Akuji pleaded as he struggled to get free of the balrog's iron grip.

The balrog laughed. "Exactly."

Akuji gaped at it. Horror and bewilderment was evident on his face. "What? But... it'll hit you too!"

"Yes... but my death will simply be another reason to destroy you humans! And you are the only one who can destroy us... I will be hailed as a hero beyond all others for your death!"

Akuji suddenly realized he was talking to a balrog. "Wait... how can I understand you?" His deep blue eyes looked straight into the balrogs yellow ones.

The balrog sneered, its grimy yellow fangs dripped with saliva. "Because... you have been Marked!" The balrog started to laugh a wild, insane cry, just as the meteor hit. Dust was shot up into the air, where it billowed in huge clouds. Ryker was buffeted backwards. The explosion boomed throughout the jungle. In Lith Harbor, vibrations shook houses, and people ran for cover. In Henesys, houses broke apart and mothers ushered their children into shelters. In Kerning City, the towering buildings shook and the residents of the Thieves Guilds quietly looked out from their respective alcoves in the city, then returned to buisness. In Perion, huge boulders plummeted down onto the streets below. Trees collapsed and leaves floated to the ground in Ellinia.

Ryker huddled down in a pile of bushes, his hair billowing back behind him. Shockwaves shook the ground with such a wild intensity that the earth split. Ryker tentatively stood up, then fell back to his feet as the world bucked under his feet. The balrogs roared triumphantly. Ryker stood again and managed to regain his balance. He carefully walked towards the balrogs. "HEY! UGLIES! OVER HERE!" He bellowed. He tossed an Ilbi at each of the balrogs . They roared with anger and glared down at Ryker. "YEAH YOU! I'M TALKIN' TO YOU! THAT'S RIGHT! LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!" Ryker called.

The balrogs roared again, grunted in their language, then shot towards Ryker. He turned, stumbled, then hurtled off into the distance. The balrogs kept up the pace. Ryker jumped up onto a platform and ran on. One of the balrogs caught up, and it swung its huge gorilla-like at Ryker. He leaped up into the air and landed on the hand. Ryker pulled a dagger from his sleeve. He jumped onto the balrog's head plunged it into the beast's neck. It roared then rolled in mid-air. With a grunt of exertion, he stabbed the balrog again and again. The balrog gave another cry, and plummeted through the air. Ryker leaped off of it and landed with a small flip on the ground. He started to run again, this time back towards where the meteor had hit. The earthquakes had let off, though dust was still in the air.

He reached the crash site and peered around, trying to see through the dust and debris. He stepped forward and pitched head-first into a huge crater. He rolled all the way to the bottom. As the dust slowly cleared, he started to discern a figure standing in the center of the crater. The balrogs reached him and they hovered close to the ground. The figure stirred and took a step toward Ryker. The person groaned. "R-r-Ryker?" It was Akuji.

Ryker stumbled backwards with surprise and the balrogs hissed in anger. "Both Ethranrl and Stikl dead for nothing! We must destroy these two before they get out of hand." Ryker heard this as a hiss but Akuji understood.

His body flared with a dark energy. "No... you shall not harm either me or the assassin!" Ryker flushed with indignation at being called 'the assassin.'

"I have a name you know!" He shouted.

Akuji roared. "NOW YOU WILL DIE!" He shot forward. Ryker was appalled at the change that had overcome Akuji. His eyes were burning with a dark and evil fire. Akuji shot forward, bow at the ready. Two arrows shot forth from the bow in quick succession. They were on fire. They both embedded themselves in the body of one of the balrogs. The beast grunted, then put a hairy claw up to its chest. It returned soaked with crimson blood. It choked something out, then the arrows started to glow. The monster's eyes darted up in realization. The arrows exploded, leaving nothing in their stead. Akuji turned.

"NO!" The last balrog roared. It roared, then flew at Akuji. It struck him on the face, forcing him to the ground. Akuji coughed up blood, but stood and laughed.

"Pathetic..." Akuji muttered. He lurched forward. The balrog shot forward again, claws out stretched. As the balrog neared him, Akuji's hand shot out and gripped onto the balrog's hand. He swung him in a circle, then slammed him into the ground. Crimson blood oozed from the balrog's face. It groaned softly. Akuji threw it up into the air and shot three arrows at it. They all struck home, in the balrog's head. It's eyes grew distant and was dead before it had hit the ground. Akuji staggered, the raw power that had been present earlier was gone, he fell, and stayed there, face-up on the ground.

A small trickle of blood oozed from Akuji's mouth. Ryker ran forward, and as he drew closer, Akuji's eyes closed, and he fell into the deep, healing sleep of unconciousness. As Ryker kneeled next Akuji to check for a pulse, the Mark of the Balrog gleamed ever darker.

* * *

AN: Alright! I definitely think this one is better than the last one. Yeah, anyway, please review. I mean, I like live for reviews. (Thinks of a zombie who stumbles around moaning for reviews) Okay, maybe not "live" for exactly... But I do like to hear your opinions. I enjoy it! Yeah! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Hmm.. sorry. Got carried away. Review please! Revision: Okays... Ummm, added a bit of conversation in Akuji's mind and a few sentences here and there, so... Review!  



	5. Chapter 5

AN:Another CHAPTER! WOOT! AND GUESS WHAT! IT'S NOT ABOUT AKUJI! OR RYKER! Yup. Not them. Oh yeah. YOU SHALL NOT KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO AKUJI FOR (counts on his fingers) A LONG TIME! Disclaimer: I do not own MapleStory. Nuff Said. Nuff Said.

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The cool breeze drifted through the warm jungle. In the small, remote village, of Sleepywood, the citizens were rebuilding. An eartquake had raked the town hours ago, causing devastation to all. The hotel had been turned to shambles, and the various houses were in similar states or destruction and disrepair. All was a scene of quiet and reposed sadness. Everyone made themselves busy by helping repair. Meanwhile, in a clearing outside of the village, a meeting was being carried. Alda and Druce sat in a small circle. With them were an assortment of people. Athena Pierce carefully polished a bow as she sat quietly near the pond. Grendel the Really Old floated in serene meditation. Dances with Balrog stood off to the side, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings. Dark Lord, the leader of the Theives Guild, sat away from all else, his eyes constantly surveying his fellows. The air around him burned with a quiet intensity, while the two bandits behind him kept their hands in their pockets, where they stored one of their many daggers.

Druce stood up and looked around. "Welcome, all. You have been summoned here for your... abilities." Dark Lord fingered his dagger as he said this. "I believe you know why you have come." He looked around at the faces of the greatest fighters of their time.

Athena looked up. "Is it about the earthquake? Or Akuji?" Her bright, inquisitve eyes shone with excitement. She was the leader of Henesys, and Master Bowman. Many men watched her with lustful eyes, a consequence of her voluptuous figure and beautiful features. Many archers had been drawn into the job not for being a bowman, but for the chance of getting closer to Athena.

Dark Lord snorted. "Hmph. It's about both. Akuji is a direct cause of the earthquake, which, was actually a meteor strike, summoned by four potent Jr.Balrogs. Heh. I wouldn't be surprised if Akuji is dead and now it's up to us to defeat Kronos." He was informed of this by his rather extensive list of contacts.

Athena narrowed her eyes. Akuji had been one of her star pupils, and Athena felt a protectiveness towards him. She opened her mouth to retaliate when Druce interrupted. "You are correct on the point that Jr.Balrogs caused the earthquake, but Akuji is not dead. The main problem is that the Mark of the Balrog has grown more prominent. Akuji has unlocked certain demonic powers: mainly demonic strength and an understanding of the balrog's language. Another point that will be of a certain loss to us is that Akuji has lost all memories. He has no idea what went on down in the sanctuary. He also thinks this quest to be a waste of time. He decided not to help us."

Athena gasped and Dark Lord groaned. Dances with Balrog sighed and Grendel bowed his head. "This is dire news indeed..." Intoned the elderly wizard.

Athena glanced over at Druce. "So, how much longer until his full powers are unlocked and he becomes fully possessed by the Mark?"

Druce glanced over at Grendel. The mage stirred and prepared to speak. "I have been watching over Akuji, and witnessed his first possession. He retained most of his mind, though lost control after being hit by the balrog. I would say he has several months. Maybe a year," He wheezed in his reverent and majestic voice that implied ultimate wisdom.

Druce nodded. "Yes. That would be logical. Dances with Balrog, do you have anything to add?"

The warrior chieftain nodded. He spoke and his deep and throaty voice. "Only that we in Perion will be ready if the need arises that we must take the task of Kronos' destruction into our own hands."

Dark Lord laughed his taunting laugh. "Indeed. I say we destroy Kronos now, then kill Akuji before he turns into some freak demon."

Druce glared at Dark Lord with a fiery anger. "That will--"

Athena interrupted sharply."You will not talk like that of a bowman! I could say a few choice words of your favorite thief, Ryker, the little--"

"Heh. An' your bowmans have a spotless record." Dark Lord shot back.

"DO NOT PURPOSELY INFURIATE A BOWMAN, SLIME!"

"AN' DON'T EXPECT TO BE OFF THE HOOK FOR INSULTIN' A ROGUE! YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF KNIFED IN THE BACK!"

"AND YOU'LL FIND YOURSELF--"

"ENOUGH!" Druce bellowed over the yells of the archer and rogue. "We will not accuse and threaten each other! We will not desert Akuji in a time like this! You need not worry of this, Athena. And Dark Lord, we cannot defeat Kronos without Akuji. May I remind you of the Mark?"

"Hmph. No. Ya don't have ta remind me of that, old man," Dark Lord muttered.

Dances with Balrog coughed. "Do not forget, young thief: Druce once saved this land before. We owe him a debt. He is most knowledgable on this subject."

Athena sighed and stood up. "If we are done muttering insults and threats at each other, I must get back to Henesys. I must hurry if we are to be ready for war. It is no small task to arrange an army to take on a horde of monsters in any amount of time.

Druce nodded. "Yes. We all have our duties to return to. Leave now, and be wary of what you have learned."

As they started to leave, Alda spoke up. Her thin and wobbly voice stayed at a whisper, though all heard her. "Be wary of your allegiances. They have grown thin and weak over the years. If the bonds are not renewed, they will fall, and in doing so, so shall the world. A fork in the road is before us. At the end of one lies Oblivion. At the other, lies an era of peace. It is your choice which to take." With that final, strange and foreboding message, she turned and began slicing herbs. The others left, each carrying their own thought, their own plans. Dark Lord's eyes glittered darkly.

Druce sighed and turned to Alda. "I'm afraid the fate of the world is held in awkward hands, my dear."

Alda cackled. "Yes. But are you alright? Does Akuji's fate weigh heavily upon you?"

"Yes. I once walked down his path, and bore my own Mark. Now, we must wait and see if he chooses my path, or forages into the darkness of his own."

XxX

Kronos stood before a sea of monsters, each waiting impatiently for their leader to speak. "Welcome, my fellow beasts! From the lowly snail, to the awesome balrog, I welcome you all!" The beasts cheered in an uproar. "We have joined to ready and train ourselves for the coming of the war! The greatest war of all! The War and Downfall of the Humans! At the turn of the year, we will strike! And we will _destroy_!" The monsters raucous call turned to a roar and deafened all. Kronos grinned. Everything was going perfectly.

All was falling into place.

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AN: Wow. That was fun. Just who is Druce and what is his past? I have no idea. Actually I do but... I'M NOT TELLING! Hope you all liked it. Kinda added my own spin to the town leaders. Figured Dances With Balrog would be quiet and reclusive while Grendel was wise and meditating constantly. That's what he does in the game anyway. And Dark Lord became a power-hungry thief. And... Athena became a... uh... you know. Anyway, hoped you liked it. Please review, it's cool and I appreciate your opinions, criticism, etc. I started writing this to see if peole liked my writing, so I would rather enjoy getting your reviews. Kudos, and thanks! Revision: Not much added to this chapter. Change'd the dialogue so it coincides with the new storyline a bit better... But that's pretty much it. Review please! Oh, I'm not depending on Reviews for writing chapters. I'm just gonna crank this thing out. Once I get an inspiration I like obsess over it. Review!  



	6. Chapter 6

AN: Sigh... I haven't got many reviews, but... that's cause MapleStory fanfics are obscure! So who cares! Not me! Alright! I write when I get bored, so (obviously) I write lots! Anyway, on with the chapter! It's an Akuji chapter! Plus a new character! Thanks to Akein for your review! Yay! Yahoo! Woohoo! Read on! I feel way to peppy! Yay! Revision: Hmmm... Dunno what I'll do to this chapter... Anyways, read on!

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Darkness overwhelmed his mind, flooding it with tidings of the past. Images of a life now forgotten flew by as he caught glimpses of their contents. A girl with long, curly brown hair sat on a bench in Henesys, surrounded by fans. He felt a pang of jealousy and... regret. Another image, this of a brilliant sunset, flashed through his mind. A girl sat by his side, the same one. They shared a long look, then she smiled and turned. He felt a flash of happiness, then remorse. The images-- or were they memories? He could not tell-- shot by faster than before. He only caught glimpses, most of the same girl. A word sprang unbidden into his head. Tatum. Then, one whole image inveloped his mind. He and-- Tatum was it?-- were cautiously entering the Cursed Shrine. Then, without warning, he remembered the rest. The balrogs, the Crimson Balrog-- Kronos--, and then, with a huge tearing feeling, her death. He remembered his battle with Kronos, his vow, the challenge. He wanted to die. Tatum had died all because of him. Then with a pang of fear, he remembered the warning Druce had given him, and the proposition. No! He thought furiously. That beast killed Tatum, and I want to go on with my life like nothing happened! But... That monster is far too strong! I couldn't even touch him! But Tatum... and all the people around the world... they would die! His thoughts subsided into puddle of panic and regret. The darkness grew.

The Mark was taking over.

XxX

Ryker stood with his back to the small, dying fire that cast a blazing light over the small glade. He slowly turned a throwing star over and over in his hands. He glanced over at where a woman tended to Akuji. She had her black hair tied back in a ponytail. "How is he?" He asked without turning.

"He'll be fine. I have no idea how, but he'll be fine," She answered. She had a gentle and uplifting voice, one that would increase someone's mood considerably just by greeting them. Her name was Aradia, Grendel the Really Old's apprentice and adept in all forms of magic.

Ryker grinned. "Heh, knew he was a fighter when I first saw 'im. He was runnin' from a whole parade of monsters. Plus four balrogs. One of which was crushed by a huge meteor which also landed on him, another killed by me, and the last two killed by him. And in a pretty show-offy way I must add."

Aradia looked over at Ryker. "Explain to me again how he managed to kill the two balrogs?" She asked.

Ryker's eyes gleamed with a happy light. When he spoke, he had the traits of someone who had told the story many times before. "Well, after the dust settled, which is amazing in itself, as the meteor was huge and it was like, coming down right on him. I had beaten one of them, and I was evading the other two. Then, he appears and like has a weird, almost demonic look in his eyes. He slaughtered one them with a couple of arrows through the heart. Then, with inhuman strength, he grabs the other one by the arm, slams him into the ground, then throws him up into the air and shoots him to death. Pretty wild, huh?"

Aradia sighed. "Yes. But, you might want to know something about Akuji... He's been marked with The Mark of the---"

Akuji groaned. Aradia quickly turned over to him and kneeled beside him. "W-where am I?" He asked slowly.

"Heh, you're in a small, obscure clearing in the center of Victoria! This is like... HQ for all wanna-be heroes!" Ryker answered.

Akuji's gray eyes were dazed, not catching the bit of sarcasm in Rykers voice. "Oh. And who's she?" He looked up into Aradia's eyes, and noted the look of great wisom that lingered deep within them.

"I'm Aradia. Apprentice to Grendel the Really--"

"Your Aradia! The Aradia? Wow! I've heard stories of how powerful you are! Your like... A goddess!" His admiring eyes glowed as he studied her face. Aradia had a beautiful and bewitching face. She also had an equally beautiful figure.

She blushed under his scrutiny. "Umm... Yeah. Yeah, that's me."

"Wow! So what are you doing here? Wow! Man, there are people who are way more powerful than me, yet I'm the one who is being forced to kill Kronos..."

Aradia started and her eyes were wide with curiousity. "You're the one whose supposed to fight Kronos? So that's why you have the Mark. Another challenge..."

"Hmm? What was that Aradia? He has a 'mark'?" Ryker asked.

Aradia silently cursed the thief for his hearing. "Uhh... yeah, I meant the mark left by the balrogs!" She pointed at the claw piercings on Akuji's armor.

"Ooookay. So, Akuji, how'd you get mixed up inta all this balrog biz, anyway?" Ryker asked.

Akuji sighed. He quickly explained that he had lost his memory. He told them the bits he remembered, including the conversations he had with the strange being in his mind and how he was able to understand what balrogs said. When he had finished, the two stared at him. Akuji squirmed under their intense scrutiny, Ryker searching for truth in his face and Aradia watching with a calculating air.

"Tatum... is dead?" Ryker asked. Grief was evident in his eyes. He had known Tatum as well, and was disheartened by her untimely death.

Akuji nodded slowly. Telling the story of his tattered memories had reopened old wounds, and he could feel tears welling up in his eyes. Even though some of the pain had been lifted by time and his sharing of the story, it was still bordering on unbearable to think about it.

Ryker nodded slowly. "Well... It doesn't matter! Yeah! 'Cause we're gonna help you out, Akuji me old buddy! And when it comes to your little skirmish with Kronos, of course that's only if you choose to, but lemme tell you somethin' man, Aradia can wheedle you into anything! With her looks and that voice, and of course her ability to curse you to oblivion..."

Aradia glared at Ryker and cast about for another subject. She looked directly into Akuji's eyes. Lying near the surface was an epicenter of emotions; sadness, anger, confusion, and some small amount of relief that someone in this world shared his grief. She looked deeper, past the emotions, into the core of his being. A dark fire stirred, and a needle of darkness shot through her mind.

_I know what you seek..._ A deep voice growled. It was an ancient voice, engrained with an equally ancient and evil power.

Aradia started. She hadn't expected Akuji to be able to read minds and communicate through telekinesis. But, a nagging voice in her mind told her, that didn't sound like Akuji, and, in the brief contact that came with the unification of Aradia and the unknown person's mind, it didn't _feel_ likeAkuji's mind either. _Who are you?_ She ventured, the thought hanging limply as the person responded.

_I am what comes of demon blood mixing with human's blood, a horrible abberation of what life is supposed to be. I am Akuji, and I am not. I am Kronos, but not. I am a demon sent to watch Akuji, take over his body and serve the being you call Kronos.  
_

Aradia was perplexed by the response. This must be the result of the Mark--

_Yes... The Mark is what created me..._

Aradia shot a tendril of thought at the being. _How did you hear that? I din't say anything!_

_You are a weak magician, I am a being of pure power. I have far more advanced mind-reading abilities._

_What are you?_

_I am a shadow of Akuji, for simplicity you may call me the demonic form of Akuji._

_I don't have to have every--_

_Quiet. You seek to know what Kronos plans, and I will tell you._

Aradia was shocked. She thought that the demonic spirit was on Kronos's side.

_No. I am on no one's side. I have only myself, and this vessel. I shall willingly tell you Kronos's plan for my own sake. I wish to see Kronos fall as well..._

_Why don't you just tell this to Akuji?_

_Akuji can only hear me at certain times... And he would not approve of what my plans for us are..._

_Which are what? And why do you want to see Kronos fall?  
_

_My plans... I will not tell you, mortal. As for my hatred of Kronos... That is a deep-rooted feeling. He took that without the permission of its _true _owner. I have met the real Kronos and have a deep respect for him.Your Kronos is no match for his abilities... As for the plans of yourKronos, he wishes to send his army of monsters to overtake the cities one by one. He plans for something similar to the domino effect. First one falls, then another, and another, and another. Soon all will be under his influence-- if his plan works. He wishes the unification of both Akuji's and my soul. Then, he will use us as the ultimate weapon of destruction. _

_No... He can't do that! It's... not right! Demons and humans shouldn't be mixed! It's unethical!  
_

_Hmph. Foolish sentiments. If you humans were truly strong, you would forget the sense of right and wrong. There is only that which allows you to survive! You humans have emotion, and it is that which causes you to have a certain amount of strength. My plan is to destroy Kronos, and then lead this world into an era of darkness and fear..._

_But then..._

_Heh... I am your ally and your enemy. It brings to mind one of your sayings... Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer? That is a bit cliche, but it will do. If you let me live, I will destroy Kronos and help you, but also take over this world. If you kill me now, which you cannot do, Akuji will die and you will have no chance of defeating Kronos. You are in a delicate situation. You have choices before you. Am I an ally, or an enemy? Am I a savior, or a destroyer? It is your choice..._

With that, he withdrew the mental link and Aradia was thrown back into reality. She was still staring at Akuji. Ryker was talikng to her. "...llo, Aradia! Wake up!"

She looked over at him and managed a small smile. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. C'mon, we'd better get going. Gotta train if we want a chance at fighting Kronos."

She trotted off into the underbrush and Akuji and Ryker shrugged, then followed. Inside Akuji, the demon form of himself watched, waiting for his chance to take over Akuji, and destroy Kronos. Only a year left... Then... The dormant forces of this world would awaken, and all would be a battlefield.

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AN: Alright! WAHOO! I totally enjoyed this chapter! Yeah! In the next chapter it'll be a year in the future, so I don't have to spew out chapters on Akuji training and you don't have to read them! GO YOU! Anyway, Please Review, I seriously enjoy reading your comments! YEAH! GO REVIEW! NOW! YAY! Revision: Totally ignore that comment up there! I'm not skipping ahead! I'm gonna have some fun with the characters first! And not in that way you sickos! Ewwww! Anyways, Review please! 


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Alright guys (and girls), its time for this chappie, a whole new one! OMG! Anyways, this one was NOT in the original story. It has some changes in it, and it is NOT set one year after the last one. This happens like... 20 minutes after... I guess... Read and Review!

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Ryker slipped through the wall of vines, a Hwabi star in his hands, cutting the plant-growth. Akuji stood farther back, his bow at the ready. Aradia crouched in the dense undergrowth next to Akuji, ready to heal if necessary. Ryker signaled and they ran forward into the newly opened path. They stood in a clearing, the sun blocked out by the tall trees overhead. Golems wandered through the clearing, leaving huge footprints in the ground. "Ready?" Ryker asked.

Akuji nodded. He stepped forward into the view of the golems. They turned slowly to look at him, they're black eyes staring blankly from their hollowed sockets. Then one roared, a deep sound of pure animal instinct. Akuji nocked an arrow to his bow and took aim. "Inferno!" The arrow soared from the bow, glittering in the dim light. The golem prepared to defend itself, but before the arrow reached him it began to glow. Within the next instant it exploded, bringing up a huge cloud of dust. The dust began to clear, the surving golems grunting dumbly. Ryker burst from the cloud, throwing stars flying through the air. A golem fell, its stone pieces falling apart in a pile of debris.

Aradia ran into the clearing, her weapon-of-choice, the Hinomaru Fan, raised. "Ice Strike!" She called. Ice rained down, freezing the golems. Akuji flipped backwards, avoiding the pounding fists of his opponent. He shot an arrow in-between the eyes of the golem, killing it instantly.

Ryker leaped on top of his enemy. He raised his hand, energy growing in his palm. "Avenger!" A huge shuriken appeared in his hand. Ryker slammed it into the monster's head, splitting it in two. The trio defeated all the golems in quick succession. Ryker stood panting, surrounded by the huge corpses of the golems. "Well, that was fun!" He said, grinning.

Aradia dusted herself off. "Indeed. I think we'd better be getting to Henesys don't you?" She asked, slightly impatient from the diversion from their path.

Ryker smirked. "Of course! Wouldn't want to keep Athena waiting would you?" He remarked, winking roguishly to Akuji.

Akuji grinned and Aradia sent an icy glare Ryker's way. "Right. Well, let's go. If we stay here any longer, Aradia's gonna commit murder!" Akuji and Ryker dashed off into the underbrush, followed by a disgruntled Aradia.

XxX

Caden sighed, letting a group of mages pass by after they killed the monsters in the area. He shouldered his Devil's Sunrise, watching the last of the mages leave. _Man, I hate magic..._ He thought bitterly. He was used to the abilities of the long range overcoming his own, but he was still bitter afterwards. He walked out of the huge limestone cavern that was Sanctuary. A scream from within caused him to stop abruptly. He readied his sword and dashed inside. A Crimson Balrog held all of the mages in his claws, strangling them. Caden stepped into the shadows. _What the hell..._ Crimson Balrogs didn't come into Sanctuary, at least as far as he knew. He shook the thoughts of confusion from his mind. Even with his bitter dislike for mages he couldn't let them die in front of him. He backed into the wall and his polearm, Hellslayer, banged loudly. Caden cursed as the balrog looked up. It grinned evilly and dropped the mages. Caden stepped into the open and pulled out his Hellslayer. The Crimson Balrog stalked forward menacingly. Caden charged forward with reckless abandon. "Buster!" He bellowed. The balrog stepped back, avoiding the crushing blows of Caden's weapon. "Dragon Roar!" The balrog covered its ears in a vain attempt to drown out the primal roar of a dragon. Caden took this chance to attack again. He swung blow after blow, knocking back the balrog with each heavy attack.

"Enough!" The balrog bellowed. Caden stumbled back, shocked. Balrogs weren't supposed to talk, even Crimson Balrogs resorted to the guttural grunts of their lesser kin. "You humans have become a nuisance lately!" He caught Caden in a vice-like hold.

Caden's eyes watered. If he didn't do something, he would be crushed... "Sac... sacrifice!" He choked out. His eyes glowed, his health draining. He was empowered though, and he used the mighty strength brought on by his ability to strike the monster with the flat of his weapon. The beast staggered back, clutching his bloodied head. Caden leaped forward. "Dragon Fury!" He shouted. He brought his weapon around in a mighty arc, catching the balrog in the chest. The beast groaned as it was flung against the rock walls of Sanctuary.

Caden fell to the ground, his weapon falling to his side, his arms hanging limply. The balrog staggered upright. "I... have had... enough of this... You have proven yourself to be a worthy opponent though... Perhaps I chose wrong...," The beast muttered.

Caden gaped up at the monster. "H-how..?" He asked weakly.

The Crimson Balrog smirked. "I cannot be killed by your vain, pathetic, mortal attempts. I am as one invincible to you," He grunted.

Caden stood, grabbing his weapon. "I'll kill anyway..." He groaned.

The monster laughed. "A noble attempt. But I would have some use of you..." He shot forward, gripping Caden in his giant claw. He soared upwards, breaking through the roof of the Sanctuary. They continued in their ascent, breaking through the many levels of earth. In moments they reached the surface, appearing in a small clearing. The balrog threw Caden into a tree, splintering the bark. "Look around you! This is my army, which I will use to take over this mortal world!" Caden coughed blood and looked around the clearing. A sea of monsters met his eyes, grinning with devilish delight.

"How..." He muttered.

The balrog laughed. "It has been difficult. I had to bring enough monsters that we could overcome the humans, but a small enough number that the humans would not be suspicious. And, amazingly, I have succeeded! Now nothing can stop me! I am Kronos! The Lord of All Monsters! I am better than the original, demon Kronos, the lord of demons! I give you a choice, warrior, join me and rule over all others, or fight for me against your will. No matter what, I will have a servant," He threatened.

Caden glared at Kronos, hatred pouring from his eyes. "_Never_!" He hissed.

Kronos frowned. "Very well... You shall be a mere puppet to me. I would presume you chose wrong...," Kronos raised one of his gnarled claws. Caden convulsed as a dark energy flowed into him. Cade writhed on the ground, trying to fight off the sinister forces that were taking hold of him. Kronos scowled. "You are a very strong-willed person... Perfect," Kronos snarled. Caden stood, his eyes distant.

"I serve no one!" He growled. He raised his own sword, angling it towards Kronos. "Especially ignorant monsters!" He swung the sword around, aiming not for Kronos, but himself.

Kronos's eyes widened. "You would kill yourself rather than work for me? Interesting..." Caden convulsed again and dropped the sword.

"Damn..." He muttered, then he suddenly went limp. His eyes were distant, clouded over as if they were covered in fog.

Kronos grinned. "Stand." Caden did. "Good... Now, I have a job for you... I want you to watch over Akuji... Be sure nothing... too painful happens to him."

* * *

AN: Yay! I finished it! Okay... My original readers... Please don't hurt me! I know what I did to Caden... and I can give an excuse... But I'm not telling! Hah! Anyway, review please. 


	8. Chapter 8

The quiet sunrise over Henesys was not the usual bustling affair for Athena that it had been in the past. In the weeks past, she had been up well before the sunrise, organizing rations and dealing with disputes over various domestic problems. She sighed and ran her lithe fingers through her wavy blonde hair. Her desk was overflowing with death reports. Monsters were appearing more and more often, and the normally reclusive, powerful monsters who dwelled in the Dungeon started appearing out in the open. She sighed and rifled through them. Her heart dropped as she saw the amount of people killed, and all because of one man who decided to go into the Sanctuary. _Dammit... Why did it have to turn out like this?_ She thought desperately. She looked out her window and saw a slow procession of mourners. They were dressed in the traditional black, watching as two warriors lowered the casket into the ground. The park in Henesys had been turned into a massive burial ground, the headstones appearing as small white dots, peppering the grass.

She noticed three people standing a little distance away from the funeral. One, a woman, knelt weeping on the lawns of the park. Athena's heart wrenched then. She had a feeling the woman was not one of the many mourners that hovered over the graves of their beloved, the ones who had been stolen away by the icy talons of death. The other two, men, she noted with her hawk-like eyes, were standing uncomfortably nearby. One was kneeling down and patting the girl on the shoulder half-heartedly. The other was shaking, though from grief or some other emotion she could not tell. She felt the man was somewhat familiar, though she had no idea from where. She turned away and began organizing the sheafs of paper upon her desk when a primal call of fury shook Athena's humble abode. "DAMMIT!" The man, detached from the others raised a bow towards the sky, and in a motion so fast Athena almost doubted it happened, nocked and arrow and released it into the sky. It arced upwards, then burst into flames. The flames took the form of a huge phoenix, wings outstretched. The form nearly took up the whole sky, but it disappeared a moment or so its creation. Athena gaped at the man, then hurriedly put on her jacket and rushed headlong down the stairs.

She very nearly knocked over her elderly assistant who was creeping up the stairs. The woman threw a startled glance at Athena's back then turned and continued her ascent up the stairs with a grumble that sounded something like: "Young people have far too much energy! Aye, that's for sure..."

Athena didn't give her a backward glance but instead continued on her mad dash. The cemetery soon was in view, the mourners scrambling to leave the area, hoping to escape the fearsome wrath of the stranger. The trio came into view, the angry man crouched on the ground, his fists clenched and furiously punching the ground. "Dammit, dammit, dammit..." He moaned angrily. The woman put a hand on his shoulder and muttered a word of consolation.

Athena drew up to them, her hair billowing behind her. The other man turned towards her and gave her a warm smile. "Well, if it isn't the beautiful lady of the hour... Hey! Where you going! Ya don't have to ignore me!"

Athena brushed past him and knelt beside the woman and the furious man. She was surprised to find herself staring into the vengeful eyes of Akuji. "A-Akuji!" She stuttered.

Akuji glanced up, tears streaking down his face, leaving the dimmest ghost of a trail upon his flushed cheeks. "Athena..."

She looked up and smiled brightly at the woman. "Hello, Aradia," She greeted.

Aradia wiped her eyes upon the sleeve of her shirt. "Hey, Athena... When did this happen? I don't remember the park being one big cemetery..."

Athena sighed sadly, then knelt back beside Akuji and softly rubbed his back. "The death toll has spiked since..."

"Since I fought Kronos," Akuji finished miserably. "I'm the cause of all this! All this... Death! And you know what?" He paused as if waiting for an answer, Athena opened her mouth to respnd, but he spoke again. "I didn't want this! I actually turned them down when they told me what I had to do! And look what I did! How could I have been so STUPID!" To punctuate this, he pounded the ground again with renewed vigor.

Athena gently grabbed Akuji's bloody hand. "Shh... This isn't your fault! If you truly must blame someone, blame Kronos. He was the one who caused all these deaths! He was responsible for T--"

"Don't say her name!" Akuji hissed. He stood abruptly and walked away.

The other man sighed and patted Athena on the shoulder. "Its 'k, Athena. He's just shook up. He just remembered the whole incident a couple days ago. He just needs some time to recover."

Athena looked sadly up at Ryker. "Yes... Yes, I'm sure. Well, do you have any place to stay?" She watched as Ryker and Aradia shook their heads. "Then stay with me! And don't you dare say no! I--"

Ryker held up a hand to silence her. "It's about Akuji isn't it? You want a chance to confront him. You know what's going to happen at the end of this little quest you and all the Elders have sent Akuji on. We're not stupid, Athena. And neither is he. He knows he's going to..." Ryker stopped and shook his head angrily.

Aradia took up the conversation. "We'll be glad to stay with you Athena! It would be an honor! And don't worry about Akuji, I'll take care of him." She smiled assuringly at Athena, then gently led her towards her home.

XxX

Caden walked quielty down the main street of Henesys. People hailed him and he waved quietly back. The balrog's voice sounded in his head, a piercing annoyance. He gritted his teeth when Kronos spoke. _What was that about a piercing annoyance?_

_Nothing._

_You will address me as 'Master' at all times, slave._

_Yes... master..._

_Very good. Akuji is near, I can feel the magic of the Mark I gave him through you... _

_Of course, master..._

_Was that sarcasm I detected there, worm?_

_Of course not, master._

_Hmph. Whatever. Hurry along, I want visual confirmation on Akuji soon. _

_As you wish master._

Deep inside Caden's mind, the only party of him still under his control squirmed angrily against the intrusion of the monster. It fought against Kronos's will, desperate for freedom. _Mark my words Kronos... I will get out of your control, no matter the cause. Even if I have to foil your little plans, I will. If this Akuji must die to stop you, he will...

* * *

_

AN: Alright, another chapter knocked down! This one was kinda boring (to me), but hey, its like almost building up to the bigger scenes later on. Theres like, a semi-climax, then it falls, then it builds up again. This story's gonna be loong. I'm goin' for at least 30 chapters. That's lots more than the original 22 chapters. And I'm adding more stuff to the story as I go, so it's getting longer. Hopefully you guys have enjoyed the story so far... and if ya haven't... Sucks for you! Nah, I'm just kiddin'. If you don't like it, review, and tell me all about it. Anyways, please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Downcast eyes roved the ground for something, anything, that would provide a distraction to their tormented mind. Akuji looked up, glancing at the moon, his pale gray eyes drinking in the hostility that, in his sadened mind, the moon seemed to exude. His feet strode down the path, his mind elsewhere. His mind was following its own path, fraught with terrors from the past. Distant calls reached his ears. He heard his name, but tured away and walked faster. The shouting was coming closer. He ran now, feet flying ahead of him, fighting to stay balanced but hold the intense speed. Still, the calling came closer. Akuji, losing all pretense, flung himself into the bushes alongside the path. A woman walked by, her eyes worried and wide. "Akuji! Akuji, where are you!" She looked once more around then walked on.

Akuji stumbled out into the open, panting heavily. He slid down onto a bench, chest heaving. The cool night air whipped his hair around his pale, sweaty face. He stood abruptly, sweeping his hair from his eyes. A voice, strangely dark and ancient, but taunting, sounded behind him. "So were you hiding from Aradia? Or were you hiding from your fear?" Akuji whipped around, looking for the mysterious person. "You won't find me there..."

"Who... Where... are you?" Akuji asked, his face contorted in bewilderment.

An polearm slammed into the ground next to him, sending pieces of dirt flying at his face like tiny shrapnel. "That... Is of no matter to you," The person murmured. Akuji leapt to the side as the polearm was swung at him again.

"Dammit! Who the hell are you and what do want?" Akuji demanded, sidestepping as another blow was directed at him.

"I'm Tatum!" The voice taunted in a falsetto. The name caught Akuji off-guard, giving the stranger a chance to slam the blunt side of his weapon into Akuji's stomach.

Akuji soared through the air, a huge bruise forming on his chest. "Dammit! Leave me alone!"

"Leave me alone! Ha! You sound like a child!" The polearm, Akuji could see now it was a Hellslayer, came at him again.

Anger burned through his veins, igniting as the doused by fuselage. Akuji brought up his Metis, blocking the blow. "_Leave me alone!_" Akuji bellowed. Akuji swung his free arm and struck his attacker in the face. The man stumbled into the light, revealing a tall, broad man with a muscular build.

"That's right...," The man muttered. "Release that anger! Let it consume you!" The man charged again, battering at Akuji with a newly found fury. "Let it be your energy, your guiding force that compells you! Lose yourself within it, become forever lost to the demonic power that breeds deep within your soul!"

Akuji stopped in surprise. "Demonic power?" He asked, confused.

The man smirked and smashed the flat of his weapon against Akuji's face. Akuji slammed onto the pathway, blood oozing from his face. "Yes, demonic power. Did your friends not mention it? My Lord Kronos marked with the Mark of the Balrog, sealing a demon within you. Very soon its power will become to much for you to handle, and it will take control of your body..."

"Akuji?" Ryker asked. He had stumbled upon the battle while searching for his comrade. His wide eyes took in the scene within a single glance, drawing his Dragon's Tail with a smirk. "Who the hell are you?" He asked.

"My name... as unimportant as it is... is Caden," He answered.

Ryker's smirk widened. "Good. Now I know what to put on your gravestone!" He lunged forward, swinging his dagger. He struck Caden with a single fluid motion, though the sharp eye could see that it was actually six blows. Caden stumbled backwards, surprised. Ryker did not pause in his onslaught, immediately continuing the attacks. "Assaulter!" Ryker disappeared for a moment and a slight shadow danced through the air, striking Caden. Ryker reappeared, his dagger held in an attack position. He dropped a coin, tossing it at Caden's feet. "For your trouble." He grinned.

Caden looked down at it, realization appearing on his face. "No!"

"Meso Explosion!" The coin exploded, catching Caden in the maelstrom of fire. Ryker did not waver in his attack, leaping forward through the fire and grabbing Caden. He threw him into the air, then jumped after him, attacking him consistently. Caden fell to the ground, weary from the beating. Ryker whistled, calling out a single word. "Thieves!" A gang of shadows appeared, circling Caden's ragged form. Ryker joined the circle. He and the shadows took turns leaping in-and-out, weaving a web of steel around Caden.

Caden collapsed, leaning heavily upon his weapon. "Dammit... This won't end here... _Dragon Roar_!" He called. A fierce roar sounded through the town of Henesys, deafening all in the area. Ryker collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain as his ears bled from the sound. The attack severely weakened Caden, and he quickly limped away, using his weapon as a crutch.

XxX

Athena watched worriedly as Aradia cleaned Akuji's head wound, carefully daubing it with a cloth. Ryker stuffed his ear with a dirty rag, smiling idiotically. "Ryker! Quit grinning! You and Akuji nearly died tonight! This is _not_ a cause for celebration!" Athena lectured.

Ryker continued smiling. "Athena, if I lived my life worrying about every near-death experience I've had, my life would be one big worry! It was a good fight wasn't it Akuji?"

Akuji grinned weakly then winced from the pain. "Aye... It was... fun..." He wheezed.

Aradia gently bandaged the wound. "Don't talk for a while Akuji, you'll reopen the injury," She warned.

Akuji nodded and Athena continued in her pursuit of answers. "Did he say who he was?"

Ryker nodded sagely. "Aye, he did. His name was Caden."

Athena stood, her eyes wide. "What? Impossible! Caden is one of Dancing With Balrog's top warriors! He would never... defect... like this!"

Ryker sighed. Akuji tentatively spoke. "He... mentioned his Lord Kronos... I think Kronos has put him under his control... I doubt Caden would do this. Kronos... is using him... as a way... to bring out the demon... in me..."

Aradia stiffened. "He told you?"

Akuji simply nodded. "And I don't doubt you will leave me now..."

Ryker clasped a hand to Akuji's shoulder, resulting in a gasp of pain. "Whoops, sorry there! But seriously, we won't leave you! At least I won't! I live for some action, and you got yourself buried in it! I'm with you to the end!"

Aradia smiled and nodded. "And I will be there to make sure Ryker doesn't kill you, which, I'm sure, will surely happen."

Ryker nodded. "Aye, she'll... Hey! Are you saying I'm a danger to everyone?"

Aradia smirked. "Indeed I am!"

Athena smiled, noting the youthfulness of the young heroes. A grim thought crossed her mind before being thrown away like a useless piece of trash. _These young people may be the last hope for our kind...

* * *

_AN: Awesome! If I do say so myself... I enjoyed the battle scene, but that was me soo... Review or I will bludgeon you with a spoon! Or I'll get Aradia to lecture you to death! Muahahaha! Sorry, I'm hyper! Review please!


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Hey! I decided to submit this! Yay for submitting! Okay... It's been a while since I updated, so I'll jump to the chapter... After I write a disclaimer! Disclaimer: (Note: I like to refer to myself as Kaos... soo... Yes. I am crazy! And hyper!) Kaos say he no own MapleStory. Kaos wishes he does. If Kaos did own this, he wouldn't be living in a cardboard box on the streets. Oh, Kaos says he doesn't write this for profit, and that Kaos/Narrator better shut-up before readers go berserk from seeing the word 'Kaos' so much and an overdose on a hyper-active kid talking in third-person. Wow! Kaos just wrote his longest Arthur's Note! I mean Author's Note! If it was a Arthur's Note, it would say this: Alas, damn Crusades! At least Lancelot said he'd watch the castle while I'm away. I wonder why Guinevere was so happy when I was leaving. Nah, those weren't tears of joy! They were tears of sadness! And they weren't kissing! They were removing dirt from each other's lips... With their mouths! Yeah! And Merlin's an idiot... Lancelot wouldn't date my wife... Would he? Dammit! Horsie! To Camelot! Man I'm an igmo! To the story!

* * *

_You are a monster._

_No..._

_A beast..._

_No._

_A beast built from the twisted ambition of your betters..._

_No!_

_You are a killing machine! Designed to harbor a demon beyond the comprehension of any being upon this mortal plane!_

_No... I will not be the shell of a demon of the likes of you..._

_Me? Bah._

_Are you not the almighty demon you are speaking of?_

_Hell no! I am a rain drop when compared to the oceanic fury of the deity I speak of..._

_Then... You aren't the demon that Kronos sealed in me to use as a vessel?_

_Partly._

_What?_

_I am a bridge..._

_What?_

_Nothing..._

_How strong is this demon that Kronos is really summoning?_

_I cannot express it in the casual nature of mere words. I would have to show you._

_Then... Show me._

Ryker was awoken by a scream.

XxX

Caden pounded his fists into the ground with a relentless fury. His eyes grew dark, his body went limp. He was still weak from his run in with Ryker, and he hated himself for it. No bandit should be able to overcome him...

_Do you really still believe that?_

_Dammit! Kronos! Get out of my head!_

_Still rebellious?_

A sharp shock erupted through his mind. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain. His body spasmed, losing complete control of his nerves. _Kronos! Stop messing with me!_

_Am I truly? Or is your mind playing tricks on you? Maybe you're still in that cavern, unconcious from the battle with that Crimson Balrog. Maybe none of this ever happened..._

_Fine... Keep playing your little mind games..._

_Is it a game? Is this all a game? Maybe Good and Evil are sentient beings beyond our universe, playing a little game... _

_Dammit! Shut up!_

_Maybe all of this is a dream... The flickering thought of a god before being sent careening into oblivion..._

_Kronos! I said shut up!_

Caden fell face forward into the loamy soil, trembling from a force no holy being could muster...

XxX

Memories returned, long ago forgotten in a mist of pain. Unbidden they came at the time when he wished to forget his past, when he wished to turn to the future. His past could not be forgotten. It always returned to haunt the twilight dreams that revolved peacefully in his mind, twisting his fantasies to match those dreams that he held in the past... His memory could not be defeated.

Akuji trembled in his mind as his memories returned. Dreams unfulfilled shrieked in agony, a testament to the life he left behind. The demon locked within sighed impatiently. This was not going as fast as his master had wished. He had hoped the exhibition of the true Kronos's power would be enough to jolt him into submission, but it only caused the mortal to relive his more painful memories. He would have to improvise. There had to be a way to truly prepare the mortal to be a vessel of his master's power. If he wasn't ready, he could be torn apart in the process and the plan would fail...

XxX

_A small boy stood before a group of people. The boy held in his hands a bow, a single arrow in the quiver attached to his back. The group in front of him trembled with excitement, whispering erupting. A taller boy, resembling the smaller child in his figure and features, stood away from the crowd, his head bowed. The crowd swelled around the small boy, their whispers growing to shouts. "He can use those attacks...! Such an early age!"_

_"He certainly is his father's boy!"_

_"I wouldn't expect anything less from Arash's son!"_

_The tall boy fell to his knees, tears pouring down his face. 'He... he has to be the one... Dammit!'_

_The boy turned and fled into the darkness._

Alexei awoke. His mind was unclouded, his purpose was revealed to him fully.

He would find his brother... and get his revenge.

* * *

AN: Alright! I finished it! At least... I finished this chapter... Anyway, big thanks to Cookie Tamodachi! Cookie's has like reviewed... (Checks list) 10 times. Thats 10 outta 33... wow! Thanks! Next chapter should be up soon... More on Alexei... He was like a spur of the moment thing, but he was a character in the original story... I changed his name and stuff... Anyway, please review! It's the only thing that comforts me when I sit in my cardboard box on the side of the street typing on my laptop that has a problem with short-circuiting from the many tears I have cried over the devastating turn the country has gone through, and how emo I've turned. CURSE YOU EMO MUSIC! Alright, I've had my daily emo moment, and I finished my life-long fantasy of living in a card-board box. Review please! 


	11. Chapter 11

Arthur's Note: Dammit, Merlin... why'd you have to get yourself trapped in a stupid magic cave? Man.. I always knew your only weakness was a babe... Tomorrow's gonna be no fun... Guinevere had to go and cheat on me so now I have to behead her. It'll be so messy...

Author's Note: Ahem... Okayz... Oh, Disclaimer: I do not own MapleStory. I do not own anything having any relation to MapleStory that might be copyrighted. I hate disclaimers... Oh... I'm not making money off of this... Soooo...

NcMage: Yeah, like ten minutes after I finished it I thought: Hey, that sounds like that anime with the ninja... and the demon... and that obsessed guy who wants to kill his brother... Oops! I watch it sometimes... Sometimes...

* * *

Alexei darted through the underbrush, his Colonian Axe trailing by his side. The forests of Ellinia was frought with young magicians testing their new abilities on the Slimes that lurked below. They stopped and gawked at him as he past, a veteran Crusader was rare in Ellinia, most were in Orbis. Some pursued him, hoping for some quick training, while others bragged to their friends that they had seen a Crusader. Alexei sighed and drove onwards, past the hordes of magicians into the deeper sections of the forests.

The light grew sparse, and he caught glimpses of halos, before they quickly moved out of view. Alexei slowed, catching his breath. He looked up and saw a banana peel lying forgotten on the ground. A faint cry sounded in the distance, followed by the sound of the trees being disturbed. He glanced quickly through the clearing, the leafy vines blocking most of his vision. A flicker- something darted past, vanishing instantly. Alexei tightened his grip on his axe, awaiting the moment that he anxiously awaited.

The light faded. Another flash, a screech of impatience. The shadows of the trees suddenly expanded, then flooded into the open. Figures emerged from the darkness. They were monkeys, Zombie Lupins, their hideous faces alight with a grotesque fascination, their snouts twitching in a false smile. They were disgusting beasts, though they were no different from simple zombies. Their features were demonic, but their eyes were the most disturbing part of their being. They were empty, windows that opened into a dark abyss. They sucked in the light and returned only darkness. Ancient knowledge lurked in their fathomless depths.

Alexei flexed his knuckles. The demons tilted their heads, necks cracking with an ominous echo. Alexei disappeared. The demons, still with the inane smiles, stayed where they were, almost as if oblivious to the seeming flight of their enemy. "Combo Attack!" A wind blew through the clearing. Almost invisible, Alexei whirled within, striking death with each blow. The demons died, but with each death more appeared in its stead. Alexei continued in his dance, unaware of the lack of effect he was having upon the Zombie Lupins. He paused, only a fraction of a second, but he seemed to take in his surroundings. Then, turning a different way, he slammed his axe into the ground. Shockwaves rippled through the forest. The Lupins stumbled, knocking them off balance. Alexei twisted through the air again. He turned upon a group of Zombie Lupins, attacking them with relentless force. "Panic!" The demon's eyes widened, then it evaporated in a cloud of shadows.

The monsters converged again, taking the offense. They swarmed upon Alexei, crushing him in an overwhelming pile of their bodies. Alexei clawed for air, his hand the only visible part of his body. The hand went limp.

XxX

"Alex!" Akuji awoke from his stumblings in the past. The demon lazily flicked through his vessels dreams with distaste, though somewhat eager for a deep secret that he could use for more control over his soon-to-be new body.

_Alex? Whose that?_

_Nobody..._

_Ha... That's why you woke from your stupid memories with his name on your lips. Might it be? No! Couldn't be! Your brother?_

_Shut up..._

_Ah... Guilty... He's dead, isn't he?_

_Dammit! Shut up!_

_Hmm... Your reaction tells me it's your fault. Too bad..._

"Akuji! Akuji! Snap out of it! Jeez, ya wake me up in the middle of the night screamin' bloody hell and then ya pass out on me! Athena and Aradia have been, like, swooning in worry! Then ya wake up and shout 'Alex' and then ya go into a trance... and... Hell, you're pretty messed up man...," Ryker remarked as he watched Akuji shake himself awake.

"Wha?" Akuji asked drowsily.

Aradia stood from where she sat in the corner of the room. "Who's Alex?"

Akuji looked up and glanced at her chocolate-brown eyes. "Nobody," He answered, averting his eyes to the floor.

"Do you not trust us?"

"What?" Akuji asked, shocked. The question had surprised him, Aradia had never been that forthcoming.

"Do you trust us?" She repeated, impatience wearing in her voice.

"O-of course I do... I just..."

"You haven't told us anything of your past, and you haven't really told us much about your run-in with Kronos!"

Akuji's eyes darkened. "What gives you the right to demand answers! I keep my past to myself! And why should I trust you? You obviously don't trust _me_ enough to have told me that I've a demon in me!"

Aradia stumbled back, confusion on her face. "How did you..."

"That man told me... He serves Kronos, apparently. He told me how Kronos marked me, sealed a demon inside of me..." He broke off, lost in his thoughts. "Its name... It says it's Kane..."

Aradia frowned. "You shouldn't be talking to it, it just gives it more purchase over..."

"Don't lecture me! Dammit, you don't know anything!" The demon, Kane, smirked in his prison. The boy was molding to him. Soon, he would be identical to Kane's temperament and it would be a simple matter to take over his mind.

"I don't know anything because you won't tell me!"

Ryker tried to stop the fight. "Aradia, just let it go let him--"

"No! I promised to help you, Ryker and I both! We can't help you if you don't tell us--"

"I don't need your help! Leave me the hell alone! You think you can help me, but you can't! You don't understand me! You've never seen your brother slaughtered before you, then dragged off to the far-reaches of hell! You've never seen an innocent person die, right in your face. My brother died because I couldn't help him, but Tatum... Tatum died because I didn't help her! Do you know what that guilt feels like?"

Aradia was silent, her face aghast at Akuji's words.

"You've never been alone... Truly alone... You've never been pressured to be a hero, while all you want to be is normal... You've never been forced into a quest you don't want any part of! Why don't you go out there, and learn what all that feels like, then you can goddamn well come in here and lecture me! But don't you dare... Don't you dare try to understand me!" Akuji wrenched himself from his bed, grabbed his robe from a chair and stormed off, his bow hanging from his back along with his quiver.

Ryker sighed. "That went well. Who'da thought that Akuji was such an emo--"

"Ryker! This isn't the time for jokes! This is serious! The demon is getting more and more control over him... When he said what its name was... That means he talks regularly to it! Who knows what twisted ideas Kane's put into his mind... And what he said... They were his words... But in his eyes... That was Kane..."

Ryker frowned. "Yeah... Well, I say you're looking at his eyes to much. I didn't notice anything. Just seemed like one pissed off, emo hero to me," He remarked.

Aradia sighed. "I should know better than to try and be serious with you!" She walked from the room.

Ryker shrugged again. "Man... Everyone's so tense..."

XxX

The Zombie Lupins plodded around the clearing, filled with a demonic energy. A ragged body lay discarded on the forest edge. An axe lay beside it, just out of reach. A rustling in the woods announced another person's prescence. The Lupins stood to abrupt attention, their mangy fur bristling with tension. Caden stepped from the shadows, his Hellslayer trailing beside him. The Lupins relaxed and continued what they were doing. "Hmm? What do we have here?" He asked quietly, shuffling over to the ragged form. "Who are you?"

"Alexei..."

"Alexei? Huh... What happened to you?"

"Damn... Zombie... Lupins swarmed..."

"Ah, that would do it... If you don't mind, Alex-- May I call you Alex?--, I have to say that's almost sad for a Crusader of your stature..."

"There... were hundreds... Couldn't hold them off..."

"Ah, of course... Well, that certainly is bad luck, as it appears they're still hungry..."

"What?"

"Good-bye---" Caden tensed, his eyes squeezed shut. _What?_

_Don't leave him there... And watch the tone..._

_Of course... master..._

_Take him with you. He might be a valuable asset... You never know..._

_Very well._ "Here, let me help you up!" He said cheerfully.

Alexei took his hand warily.

"So, what are you doing in these parts?" Caden asked.

"Looking... For someone..."

"Really? Who?"

"My younger brother..."

"Oh? What's his name? I may have heard of him..."

"His name... Is Akuji..."

Caden tensed._ Amazing, what a coincidence..._

_Dammit, Kronos! _

_Watch the impudence!_

_Sorry..._

_We may be able to use him to draw out Akuji's demon._

_Yes..._ Caden payed little attention to Kronos's ramblings about what good fortune the meeting with Alexei was. He had a plan forming in his mind.

"Alexei, why are you looking for your brother?"

"I must get revenge..." Alexei blacked out.

Caden smirked. This was perfect. If he could get Alexei to kill Akuji, he could stop Kronos with the least amount of pain on his part. He glanced at his new traveling partner.

Strange things seemed to be happening...

* * *

AN: Was it good? Ack... I'm outta school for the summer so I might be writing more... Anyways, please review! Please! Pretty please! Supah please! 


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Ahem... Okay... I believe this is chapter 12... I don't keep track... Errr... Disclaimer: I do not own MapleStory, and names, etc, that are found within MapleStory and are copyrighted. I do not get money for making this. I wish I did. But I don't. How sad... Umm... There's only so much you can say in an Author's Note...

Sentrovasi: Hmmm... That was probably a mistake... Woah... I've never gotten a review so formal, thanks! Yeah, I notice the cliche parts... But did you know there's a list of fantasy cliches? It supposedly tells what you should never put into a fantasy book. I bet I could count like 15 things on that list that are in this story... Ah, here's the URL: (I don't own this website, nor am I getting any money for telling anyone this) It's interesting how many books these guys had to have read to put it all on a list... Anyway... To the story! Oh, and I looked back at that list, and I didn't really think any of the stuff there is in here... Oh, well...

Cookie Tamodachi (2 reviews (one from ch 10)): That's a tongue twister! 'Tis the same character (kinda), just changed the name for later on... Cookies! Yay! (engulfs the cookies, chokes) Bleh... I'm (cough) okay, (cough) just read the (cough) story!

* * *

Akuji stalked through the forest, eyes burning with anger. The trail that led to Ellinia was strangely devoid of any other people. This didn't matter to him, in his unholy rage it was fortunate for his isolation, though not for his sake. He stomped on, bow clenched tightly in his fist, an arrow held to the stretched bowstring. Kane, the demon imprisoned inside of him, pounded against the mental barrier that divided him and his quarry: Akuji's mind. _The wall is softening. With each moment he's becoming more susceptible to my will..._ Kane thought triumphantly. Soon, his master would be able to take this human's body as his vessel. Then, the human's world would become the next hell...

Akuji snapped to attention. His shoulders tensed, teeth grinding against each other. He stared forward, his brows furrowed into a frown. "What the hell are you doing here?"

XxX

Caden waited as Alexei caught up to him. "C'mon, Alex! You've gotta be recovered enough. I mean, us warriors have amazing recovery abilities!" He turned away from his companion.

Alexei leaned heavily upon his axe, panting like a wounded dog. "I'm... fine! Let's go! You said Akuji's in Henesys right?"

Caden grinned. "Yup. In fact, he should be comin to Ellinia, so if we're lucky, we'll meet him on the way," He responded.

"Good. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time..."

Caden set off again. Alexei submerged himself in the past, barely aware of where his feet were taking him. His brother... Finally, he would be able to show Akuji who the real-- He abruptly slammed into Caden, who had stopped. "What the hell are you doing here?" A voice asked savagely.

"Ah, it's good see you too... Akuji!" Caden laughed.

Alex shoved Caden to the side. "Y-you!" He stuttered.

Akuji blinked in surprise. "Alex? Is that you? But, how?"

"That's damn right how! You left me to die Akuji!"

"What could I do? I couldn't..."

"It was your fault! I was at Death's feet that day Akuji! And what did you do? You ran! You, the boy prodigy who took so much after our father!"

"Dammit! Don't mention Dad!"

"You! The one who all the greatest predicted would be the best one day. You ran away! And that... That hurt more than all the other crimes you've done against me!" Alexei charged forward with insane anger in his eyes. Akuji leaped away, narrowly avoiding being cleaved in two by the axe.

"What other crimes?" Akuji asked.

"I feel no need to explain myself!"

Caden stood to the side, a smug grin enveloping his face. Unbeknownst to all but Caden, Kronos watched, his triumphant smirk twisting his face. _This... is perfect. Caden thinks by doing this he can rebel against me, by letting Alexei kill Akuji! But that is exactly what I want... I want Alexei to force Akuji in a life-or-death situation... that will give the demon more power!_

"Alexei! We don't have to fight!" Akuji called as he dodged another attack.

"Yes we do! I have to prove myself! I have to show them... I have to show Dad..."

"Dad is dead! You don't have to live in his shadow!"

"You're wrong! It's not Dad's shadow I've been living in... It's yours!"

Akuji stopped dead, allowing Alex to hit him with the broadside of his axe.

"What?"

Alexei loomed over Akuji, axe raised. "Good-bye... Baby brother..."

XxX

Ryker leisurely sifted through his pack of weapons, carefully inspecting each one before placing it aside. Aradia paced behind him, her own pack slung across her shoulders. "Ryker! Will you hurry up! Akuji could be in trouble!"

Ryker continued in his inspection, apparently oblivious to Aradia's frantic state. "Relax Aradia! Emo-Hero can handle himself for a while..."

Aradia threw her arms up in frustration. "Ryker! How can you be so laid back? Akuji's almost under the control of a demon, and you're looking for spots on your weapons!"

"Well, if it gets messy out there, a good weapon is always handy...," Ryker responded.

"Whatever! If you don't hurry up, I'm leaving you!"

Athena walked into the room, her hair flowing gracefully behind her. Aradia calmed long enough to greet her, then returned to her frantic pacing. "Here..." Athena mumbled. "Take this... And give it to Akuji... It may be the one thing that can bring him back from the clutches of that demon, Kane..." She handed Aradia a simple necklace, with a small emblem attached. It depicted a phoenix with an arrow clutched in its beak. The bird's wings were spread, almost in a position of defiance.

Aradia stared at it. "What is it?"

Athena shook her head. "It's not my place to tell. If Akuji wishes, he may tell you."

Aradia sighed and stowed it in her Oriental Fury Coat. "Ryker, you read--"

"C'mon Aradia! I've been waiting for ages!" Ryker called as he stood anxiously at the front door.

Aradia flushed. "You... Dammit! Let's just go!"

Athena watched as they hurried down the path, through the huge graveyard in the park and out of sight. She hoped Grendel and the others would supply better advice to the heroes than a simple necklace.

* * *

AN: Alright! Awesome! Next chapter will be... In the past! Woooooeeeehoooo! It delves a bit further into Akuji and Alexei's (or Alex as I will sometimes refer to him as) past. Anyway, please review! 


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Not much to say... Just read... Oh, this chapter is in the past...

Cookie Tamodachi: Ookay... Yeah, I manage to pull off a bowman vs. bowman... eventually... Oh, yeah, that's sometimes the safest thing to do, siding with the guy who wins... Even if you sometimes get stuff thrown at you And that hurts...

* * *

The night was still when Arash sprinted through the shadows of Henesys. He hugged himself through his Dark Ades; the night air was cold, biting through the heaviest clothes. The park gates passed by in a blur. His hair streamed back, his dark eyes alight with a strange energy. Bowen, the leader of Henesys and the figure-head of all bowmen, resided nearby, and his house and office doubled as the hospital. There was a lantern burning in the window, a signal through the darkening night. He doubled his speed, openly sprinting down the wide path. He flung the door open and gazed upon the scene before him. A mid-wife was gently daubing a women's forehead. The women held a baby in her arms, crooning to it in a motherly tone. "Alexei... My dear... Alexei..." The woman fainted, her head resting lightly upon her chest.

Bowen stepped forward. "Ah, Arash. I see you're a little late," He remarked.

Arash sighed and looked at the newborn baby. "Sometimes my eternal lateness is a curse..."

Bowen smiled. "She won't hate you. She knows you have duties, as does she. She will understand... In time. My daughter always manages to smile... And forgive...," He said almost forlornly.

Arash nodded. "Yes... That's one of the reasons I love her..."

Bowen bowed his head. "Indeed. Now, how is the war going?"

Arash sighed. "Well enough... But I'm afraid that Blaik will pull some new trick out of his sleeve..."

"Yes. And how is Druce? Is he holding against the--"

"Of course. I don't doubt that he will have it under control by the week's end," Arash answered.

"Good... Now, I believe your son needs attending to..."

XxX

Years past, and Alexei grew into a noble warrior. His father, Arash, one of the greatest bowman that ever lived, raised Alexei to be a great hero. "Alexei, you must live up to your name. Alexei means 'defender of the people', and that's one title you must always strive to achieve.

The young Alexei bowed. "Of course father."

Alexei was training to become a warrior, though his father wished him to be a bowman. He grew stronger, matching warriors several years older than he in combat.

XxX

Soon, Alexei had a brother, a small, tousled haired boy named Akuji. Arash was a firm believer of passing on the titles of the father to his eldest son. Akuji was talented, and Arash finally got his wish: one of his sons would become a bowman. Akuji learned quickly, and Athena doted upon her youngest student with glowing pride. Alexei watched from the shadows, almost resentful for his brother. Akuji garnered much attention from the people of the world, and Arash was proud beyond words. The two brothers quickly developed an aggresive rivalry, culminating at the test which would decide whether or not Alexei would become a Crusader, and Akuji become a Ranger. Athena and Dances with Balrogs walked into the huge arena that served as the location of the ceremony. Akuji and Alexei crouched in front of them, heads bowed respectively. Alexei shot a glance at Akuji. "You're only here because Athena likes you, baby bro!"

Akuji smirked back. "We'll see. Oh, and don't worry! There won't be any magicians or assassins to steal the kills from you. I know how you get so frustrated when---"

"Just shut it watch me advance to Crusader!"

Athena and Dances with Balrog looked solemnly upon their students. Athena stepped forward, speaking to the audience. "Today, two of the world's greatest heroes will be given the chance to advance to the titles of Crusader and Ranger, respectively."

The crowd cheered. Dances with Balrog stepped forward. "They will be tested by fighting us, or, rather, the shadow versions of us."

The crowd quieted. Akuji stood. "I volunteer to go first!" He called. Alex frowned.

Athena smiled. "Of course, Akuji. You will walk through this portal, and will confront the shadow version of myself. We will be watching through a magic screen that Grendel was kind enough to erect for us."

Akuji nodded and stepped forward confidently. The portal opened, and the test began.

XxX

The dank dungeon was dark, providing low visibility and making it harder to aim and manage to hit the target. A soft sound echoed in the distance. Akuji ducked just in time to see an arrow fly overhead. He smiled. This was going to be easy. Then, the arrow flashed. It was an Arrow Bomb. Akuji's eyes widened as it went off, a resounding explosion that shook the ground. The audience gasped and Athena frowned slightly. "Had enough?" Came a cold, menacing, and feminine voice. Akuji stirred.

The voice was identical to that of Athena, except for a strange variation, almost imperceptable; the shadow version could pass for his mentor perfectly. Akuji stood. "I haven't even started yet!" He raised his bow with lightning speed and released a volley of arrows into the shadowy depths.

A cruel laugh came from the shadows. "How pathetic. I can't believe you even made it this far!"

Akuji snarled, "Shut up!"

"Arrow Rain!" Akuji looked up to see an infinite amount of arrows dropping from the sky. He ran forward, swerving around in an effort to avoid the rain of death. The shadow of Athena laughed. "A sad attempt... Shall I make it harder? Arrow Eruption!"

"What the--?" Akuji mumbled as the ground shook. Suddenly, arrows spewed from the ground. He leaped from side-to-side, vainly attempting to dodge the arrows coming from both directions. "Argh!" An arrow embedded itself in Akuji's arm. He fell, rolling. More arrows struck him, causing him to shriek in agony.

Shadow-Athena laughed. "How pitiable..." She snapped her fingers and the arrows stopped. Akuji groaned and rolled over. "Still alive? Very well. Arrow Rain! Arrow Eruption!" Akuji screamed again and scrambled to get out of range. Agonizing moments passed and the deadly volley paused.

"D-d-dammit..." He groaned. He was wounded in countless places; it was growing difficult to move.

The shadow prepared to call out another attack. "Arrow---"

Akuji leaped to his feet and steadied his bow. "Soul Arrow!" A brilliant arrow shot forth from his bow. It illuminated the shadows and revealed Shadow-Athena's position. With a savage battle cry Akuji leaped towards her. He swung his bow, hitting her with a painful crunch.

The shadow groaned. "Fire Arrow!" A burning arrow struck Akuji in the chest. He flew backwards, pain written upon his face. The shadow's expression turned to one of hatred, blood-lust clouding her eyes. The shadows around her seemed to gather, growing in density. "You... Have... Failed!" She shrieked. "Ice Arrow!" An icy arrow shot from her weapon and speared Akuji.

He writhed in agony, each movement causing more pain. Outside the testing ground, Alexei watched with a frown. Arash winced as he watched the pain his son was being put through. "No...!" Akuji moaned. He weakly grasped the arrow and pulled it out. Tossing it to the side, he stood, flinching when he moved his injured body parts. He raised his bow shakily. "Arrow Bomb!" He plucked an arrow from his quiver. It shimmered strangely in the light, almost as if sucking the dim light into it. He shot it with lightning swiftness and stunning accuracy. It flew towards his opponent with quickening speed. It flashed ominously as she stepped calmly to the side. It exploded just as it passed her.

She merely smiled cruelly as her hair whipped around. The explosion had no effect on her whatsoever, and that was Akuji's final attack. "Pathetic!" She spat. She glared through the smoke caused by the explosion, searching for Akuji. "Where the hell did you go?" She asked.

A roar greeted her ears. Akuji burst through the smoke, his bow ready. "Arrow Bomb!" The arrow shot from close range, increasing its power.

The real Athena's eyes widened. "What's he doing?"

Arash sighed. "As brash as ever I see... By shooting from that close of a range, he can increase its power. She won't be able to dodge it, but Akuji will be caught in the explosion.

Akuji was blown backwards, though he saw the final image of the shadow Athena before she perished. The arrow struck her forehead, and when it exploded, she disappeared in a grotesque mist. He slammed into the wall, grunting in pain. Athena entered the portal and carried Akuji he out. As he emerged, he punched the air in triumph. The crowd cheered wildly, encouraged by the dramatic gesture. Alexei smiled grimly. "Show-off," He muttered as Akuji was carried to the stage upon which Dances with Balrog was standing. Athena bowed to him.

"Akuji, you have proven yourself worthy of the title: Ranger!" She smiled and handed him a Golden Hinkel and a Dark Linnex robe. "I congratulate you, Akuji, the newest Ranger!" She stepped away, and the crowd cheered again.

The leader of the warriors walked before Alexei. "Alexei, are you prepared to face your test?" Alexei nodded. "Then I grant you entrance..." He gestured towards the portal and Alexei walked through. The air distorted and he looked upon a cave. It was lit by torches that lined the rocky walls. Alex carefully walked forward and faced his opponent.

* * *

AN: And his battle will have to wait till next chapter! Muahaha! Okayz... Umm... Oh... Wait... Yeah, next chapter will be in the past too... Umm... the one after that might be too, but I dunno right now. Anyway, please review! If you review... I'll... I'll... I'll... I'll... I'll... Eh, while I decide what to do if you review, review so you're not totally bored... 


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Alright... This chapter is in the past. Just to make sure no one gets confuzzled, I'll say it again. This chapter is in the past! Okay. There's a Warrior vs. Warrior fight here, which is alot easier to pull off than a Bowman vs. Bowman. Okay, on to the story!

Cooki Tamodachi: Hmm... Bowen is still Akuji's brother and stuff, I just enhanced him, changed him to a warrior, and gave him a new name (Alexei). Then I took the name 'Bowen' and gave it to the leader of Henesys at the time when Alexei and Akuji were born.

* * *

A copy of Dances with Balrog stood before Alex, a Devil's Sunrise hanging loosely from his hand. Alex tightened his grip on his Shining Axe. "So, you have come to test yourself?" The copy asked.

Alex steeled himself and nodded.

"Very well. Let us begin!" He sprinted towards Alex with amazing speed, with the tip of his sword touching the ground, generating sparks as he went. Alex brought up his sword just in time. The copy had swung in a wide arc, bringing it the swing to an end just above Alex's head, where he attempted to plung the sword. Alex ducked as the copy did more and more complicated manuevers.

"Dammit!" He grunted as he was pushed backwards by the strength of the most recent attack.

"I see you can defend well enough. But defence only goes so far. Show me your strength!" The copy bellowed. Alex gritted his teeth and charged. The copy smiled and readied his sword.

Alex leaped into the air, the Shining Axe raised high above his head. The copy countered the blow, slipping into an unprotected side. Alex smirked. Just before the copy's attack hit, he shouted: "Power Guard!"

The copy's eyes widened. "No...!" He cried, fruitlessly trying to stop his attack. As the sword touched Alex, it was ripped from the copy's hand, where it clattered uselessly against the wall. The copy was blown away and landed next to it. "Damn... I didn't expect that. Very clever..." Suddenly the shadow copy had the Devil's Sunrise in his hand and was charging at Alex. "Panic!" He shouted. Dark energy flowed from his body into his sword. Alex moved out of the way just as the sword passed. He was slammed into the far wall by the shockwaves. A crater formed where the sword hit the ground, huge chunks of rock flying in every direction.

Alex stood feebly, his legs shaking. The copy emerged from the dust, grasping only the hilt of his sword. The blade was broken, buried in the center of the crater. "Ha! You don't have a weapon!" Alex taunted.

The copy threw the broken sword away. "Oh, really?" He extended his arm and a Leomite appeared in his grasp.

Alex bit his lip. _Dammit... How am I supposed to beat an enemy who can create any weapon he wants at any time?_ He raised his axe again. "It doesn't matter! I'll just break that one too!" He charged, axe blade thrusted before him.

The copy smiled. He parried the attack then raised his weapon. "Lightning Charge!" Electricity sparked through the Leomite. He swung it at Alex, who tried to block. The mace struck his axe, cracking it. Alex frowned. "Blizzard Charge!" The copy called again. An icy weapon struck Alex's, this time meriting another crack. "Flame Charge!" Burning metal collided with Alex's weapon, almost melting it.

"Dammit!" Alex shouted as his opponent raised his weapon for another attack.

"Charge Blow!" The Leomite hit Alexei's Shining Axe. Cracks appeared everywhere on it as it tried to withstand the attack. Suddenly, the axe burst into thousands of shards.

Alex leaped back. "No!"

"Ah, poor Alexei. He's lost his weapon!" The Leomite disappeared. This time, a Hellslayer appeared in his hand. "I'll finish this quickly so you don't feel so much pain. Buster!" The polearm cut the air as it relentlessly attacked Alex. "Dragon Fury!" The attacks began again, injuring Alex in countless places. "Did that hurt? I'm so sorry... Just one more attack and it'll all be over. Dragon Roar!" A piercing bellow tore through Alex's ears, destroying his eardrums. Blood ran freely from his ears as he tried to block the sound with his hands. Alex blacked out, the last thing he saw was his mentor destroying the copy and his father's disappointed face.

XxX

Akuji was lifted over the crowd's heads at the celebration party. His father laughed louder than any other, a cup of ale in his hand while he recounted tales of Akuji's youth to Bowen, who smiled broadly (though simply from good-spirits or an after-effect of the ale, no one knew) as he listened to stories of early heroics. Alex watched from a corner his bandaged face twisted in fury. He turned away from the party and walked down a long corridor, devoid of any others. The path was dimly lit, though Alexei paid no attention to the lighting. His mind was set on its goal, and nothing could stop it now. The armory loomed ahead, and with a single jarring punch, the door was knocked free of its hinges. The noise should have alerted someone, and it was only a matter of time before they came to investigate. A simple podium loomed ahead of him. On it was an axe, the Chrono, and a set of armor. An Orihalcon Platine and Orihalcon Platine Pants were folded carefully beneath the weapon, ready to give to the next Crusader. Alex gripped the axe tightly. He didn't need the permission of that fool of a mentor he had to tell him that he was ready to be a Crusader! "Alexei. What do you think you're doing?" Alex turned and faced Dances with Balrog.

"I'm taking what is rightfully mine!" He snarled.

His mentor sighed. "You aren't ready Alexei. Train more and you could--"

"No! I'm ready now! And I'm taking it! I'm a Crusader whether you say so or not!" With that he raised the axe, turning to face the wall behind him. "Panic!" He shouted. Dark enrgy coursed through the axe. "Good-bye, master!" Alexei called as he attacked the wall, blowing a hole in it. Alex disappeared through it, running through the darkening night.

Arash appeared behind the seasoned warrior. "He's gone, hasn't he?"

The warrior elder nodded. "Yes. I am afraid he has taken a path I cannot follow. We will send a party out to bring him back in the morning. Tell no one of this... Alexei was a promising hero. It will tear apart the people of Perion if they find out..." Arash nodded and walked away. Hidden in the shadows, Akuji tightened his grip on the Golden Hinkel he had recieved.

He would personally bring Alex back, dead or alive.

* * *

AN: Alright. I didn't know how far I was gonna get into this, so I think next chapter will be in the past too. Then, after that, I'll go back to the present and stay there. Unless I do more flashbacks... Anyway, please review! 


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Yo! I'm not gonna waste words up here, so on with it!

Cookie: I'm not telling... But yeah, ranged attacks are 1337! Muahahaha! How do people come up with that stuff? 1337? Who would've figured out that could stand for 'elite'? Not me...

* * *

Years had passed since Akuji's passing into the ranks of the Ranger, as well as Alexei's defection. There had been countless searches for him, though none had found a single sign of him. Akuji had trained relentlessly. He surpassed his father in strength, and was nearing Bowen's prowess. Arash was unnerved by his son's rapid growth. He was unhealthily obsessed with finding his brother. The sun burnt the land outside of Perion as Akuji trekked through the rocky hills. Tatum, a Cleric, stumbled along beside him, her Thorns Staff providing a rudamentary cane. "Akuji! Slow down! I... can't... keep up!" She groaned as Akuji increased his speed.

He glanced back. "Oh, right. Sorry, Tatum... I forgot you were there," He apologized sheepishly.

"I noticed! Man, you're totally obsessed with this whole Alex thing aren't you?"

Akuji nodded.

Tatume shook her head. "Maybe you should just forget about him! He left the company of the known world a few years ago! He's not your problem any more! Let him fend for himself, you hunting him will only make his existence harder," She pleaded.

Akuji tensed his shoulders. "Dammit... I... Know you're right. But... I can't forgive him! He betrayed all of us! He has to pay!"

Tatum nodded sympathetically. "I know, but you don't have to--- Akuji? What's wrong?"

A hooded figure was approaching them, a Helios held loosely across his shoulders behind his head. He wore a cloak, obscuring his body but revealing a Black Battle Road underneath. Akuji tightened his grip on his Golden Arund. "No... He wouldn't..."

The man looked up and nodded to Tatum. She tentatively waved back. The cloaked man cast a long glance at Akuji. In a single fluid movement, Akuji cocked his bow and shot an arrow. The man leaped high into the sky and brandished his Helios. The huge axe slammed into the ground where Akuji had been moments before. Akuji was flying through the air, shooting arrows as he flew backwards. The man raised the Helios and used the flat of the axe as a shield. "Akuji... What?" Tatum asked.

The man shot towards Akuji and attacked, only for Akuji to have leaped away again. Tatum raised her staff to help Akuji when he called to her. "No! Stay out of this Tatum!"

"Akuji? Why the hell are you fighting him?" The man swung at Akuji again. Akuji ducked and delivered a sharp blow to the man's side with his bow.

"Dammit!" The man groaned as his hood fell back. Alexei's face came into view.

Tatum gasped. "Alex! Akuji, how the hell did you realize it was him?"

Akuji smiled grimly. "It's that swagger of his. And the way he carries his weapon. He's just confident, and it exudes from him in everything he does," Akuji told her.

Alex shook his long hair out. "Huh. I figured I wouldn't be able to fool you. Managed to fool your girlfriend ther though," He taunted.

Tatum blushed and opened her mouth to speak, but Akuji beat her to it. "Dammit! She's not my girlfriend! And quit changing the subject!"

Alex frowned. "What subject"

Akuji visibly bristled. "Just shut up and fight!"

Alex shrugged. "Man, always the violent one. Very well! I will prove to you that I'm better! I don't need any stupid test to tell me that!" He charged forward with a fierce roar and swung at Akuji. Akuji parried the attack with his bow.

"Arrow Rain!" Akuji bellowed. Arrows fell from the heavens, smiting all within their reach. Alex retreated, his axe held protectively over his head. Akuji ran after him, releasing volley after volley of arrows. Alex stopped abruptly. "What's wrong big brother? Run out of places to run to?"

Alex gritted his teeth. "Dammit! I will not be defeated by you!" He stepped back hesitantly, but stopped when his heels meet nothing but air. A chasm opened behind him. Alex lunged forward, his axe brandished beside him. "Panic!" Dark energy overflowed from the Helios. Akuji stared blankly at it, seemingly unaware of the approaching danger. Then, he seemed to snap out of it just as the axe was brought down upon him. There was no time to dodge it.

"Akuji!" Tatum called out in vain. There was no answer.

Alex straightened up. "Humph. Pathetic. You needn't be worried. He's quite alive."

"Damn... That was close..." A muffled voice mumbled. The dust passed away and Akuji stood. A scarecrow was erected in front of him.

Alex grunted. "I should've known you'd use Puppet. Too afraid for your own neck. The scarecrow split in half, straw spilling out in handfuls.

"Alexei! Now we'll really start fighting! Fire Shot!" A fiery arrow smote Alex in the chest, sending him toppling over the edge of the chasm. Akuji walked forward. Alex's hands were gripped tightly on the edge.

"Dammit Akuji!"

"Poor Alex. Hanging on for dear life on the edge of a chasm..."

"Akuji!"

"Are you going to beg for me to help you?"

"Never! I was meant to be the hero! Not you! My name even means 'Defender of Man'! I was supposed to be the hero... But you stole that from me!"

"Alex... Let go of the past! I can't help it! I don't want to be a hero! You can have that priviledge!"

"Ha! You're just going to stab me in the back when I'm not looking!" Alex swung up over the edge. He directed his feet at Akuji in a mid-air kick. Akuji brought his bow up to protect himself. The kick broke through the Golden Arund, breaking it into three large splinters. The kick landed on Akuji's stomach. He fell backwards. Alex loomed over Akuji, his Helios raised threateningly.

"Well Akuji? Any last words?" Alex asked mockingly.

"No!" Akuji challenged. He grabbed hold of the two largest splinters from his bow and slammed them into Alex. The blow knocked him off balance, giving him a chance to hit him again. Alexei fell backwards into the chasm, his eyes wide with fear. Arms outstretched as if to reach hold of Akuji. Akuji turned, chest heaving. He looked at Tatum. "Let's go."

Tatum nodded dumbly. "O-okay..."

Akuji walked on, the shard of his bow loose in his grip. "I'll have to get another bow..." He muttered.

Tatum looked at him questionably. "Another Golden Arund?"

Akuji shook his head. "No, gold's too... bright for my tastes now. I want a Dark Arund."

* * *

AN: Okay, so I was going over what I was gonna do for the ending, and yes, I know this will give something away for those of you who have seen X-Men: The Last Stand (and I don't own that, just so you know), I noticed that the ending bore small resemblence to Jean Grey, or Phoenix, I guess. Just how she was acting, you know? And she was creepy man... (Spoilers) I mean, making-out with someone then killin' em! Jeez... And did you know that (MAJOR SPOILERS) they killed off Cyclops because he was working on the Superman movie and it was gonna be hard to film both at the same time? But, jeez, Jean was like extra creepy in that one (Shudders). Anyway, please review, it helps my poor self-esteem. Well, okay, I don't have a poor self-esteem. But if it makes you review... Oh, and back on the X-Men subject... I wonder how many people stayed for that scene after the credits? Not many. I was the last one left in the movie theatre when they showed that scene. I'm like, yellin' at everyone: YO! IDIOTS! IT'S NOT OVER YET! JEEZ! AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO ACTUALLY READS THE WEBSITES? Apparently... 


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Yo! This chapter is back in the present, and we get to check back up with Ryker and Aradia... And we get to see how the most recent fight between Alex and Akuji is going... Oh... Err... I'm tryin' to think if anything else is gonna happen... Nah, not that I can think of (and nothing I'm going to tell you)... On with the story!

Cookie Tamodachi: Yup... He used to be into the gold color and stuff. But then Alex defected and when he supposedly killed him he went gothic. I guess... Eh. Oh well...

* * *

Ayrill nodded off, her Evil Wings Staff falling from her grip and landing in the soft soil beside her. She had just passed the Priest test and was worn out from the following series of parties and ceremonies. Her brother, Chase silently swooped down from the trees above her. His Casters claw fit tightly on his hand. He quickly pulled out a Steely from a small pack that was slung around his waist. With practiced stealth he pulled Ayrill from her sitting position and held the throwing star threateningly to her neck. In a gruff voice he whispered, "Now, you're gonna give me all of your money, and your good equipment too!"

Ayrill stirred and looked around drowsily. "Wha--? Am I being threatened by another person? This is the third time this week..."

Chase blinked in suprise. "What! You've been stolen from that much?"

Ayrill. "Oh, Chase? It's you? Thought I was actually in trouble for a second...," She muttered. Nemesio let her go.

"Are you saying I'm not threatening at all?"

"No, I'm just saying you couldn't threaten a snail... Well, okay, I'm saying you're not threatening."

Chase frowned. "Wow, thanks for helping my self-esteem. What're you doing out here anyway? Everyone's looking for you! They want to congratulate you or something..."

Ayrill sighed. "Argh! I don't want to be congratulate any more!"

Chase grinned ruefully. "Heh... It is a little tough when you first get into your 3rd job... I mean, all the people congratulating you... Just wait until the weaker guys start asking for training... It's torture in the beginning. But, you'll get used to it... Eventually..." Chase ended awkwardly.

Ayrill looked up with an incredulous look on her face. "Eventually?"

Chase shrugged. "Just stay in places only the stronger people train. Then you won't be hassled so much," Chase answered.

"Yeah... Though, it could be fun to get the little kids to gimme some money to show off my spells...," Ayrill mused.

Chase rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure. That works 'till their parents come and--"

The trees burst inward with a huge crack. Several Crimson Balrogs flew through the gap in the underbrush. "Chase? What the--" Ayrill was swiped off her feet into the air.

"Dammit! Kronos is on the move! Copycat!" A shadow appeared behind him, copying his movements exactly. "Ayrill! Get to Ellinia and warn Grendel! I'll hold them off!"

"But... You'll never be able to beat them yourself..."

"Who said I was gonna beat them?"

Ayrill gaped at the hopeless situation as Chase threw star after star at the balrogs. "No! I won't--"

"Dammit, Ayrill! Get the hell out of here!"

Ayrill swallowed her tears and turned to run. "Chase... Promise me something..."

"Ayrill! Go!"

"Chase! Don't die, okay? I... I can't have someone else die... Because I couldn't help them!"

Chase paused and sighed. "This isn't like that... Ayrill... Dammit, we can't talk now! Leave! Now!"

Ayrill nodded. As Chase turned, he heard a faint whisper that echoed on the wind. "Don't die, Chase... For me... For _his_ memory..."

XxX

Ryker whirled through the leafy foliage. Aradia sprinted below him, leaping gracefully over fallen logs. Ryker glanced up as a huge flock of birds raised into the sky, squawking derisively. "There's something going on over there!" He called down to Aradia.

She nodded. "So we need some transportation?"

Ryker grinned and nodded.

She raised her Hinomaru fan, a weapon of choice, and swept in a large circle. "Mystic Door!" She called. A faint image of a doorway appeared in mid-air. Runes arched through the air, creating a rudamentary circle. The doorway opened, and Aradia glimpsed stairs before the entryway flashed and turned white. "Well, come on Ryker..."

Ryker nodded and leaped down. "Have you ever wondered... What would happen if you didn't direct where you want to go?"

Aradia glanced down. "Yeah. And... There have been people who've tried to find out where it goes... And all thats ever found of them... is... their clothes... bloody and tattered."

Ryker blinked in surprise. "Seriously...?"

Aradia stepped through the doorway.

XxX

"Panic!" Alex bellowed as he swung his Colonian Axe down in a crushing blow that would have killed Akuji had he not quickly sprung to the side.

"Alex! Stop this! We can't fight here... This... This isn't the time!"

"Shut up! You left me to die, so it's only fair that I return the favor!"

Akuji sidestepped as another blow landed on the ground next to him. Caden smiled. "C'mon, Akuji! Fight back! Or are you too afraid? Let that demon inside you take over... It'll take good care of you..."

"Dammit! Shut up! Ugh!" Akuji flew aside as Alex punched him under the jaw.

"Pay attention little brother!"

_Dammit! I can't beat him!_

_Ah... But you can!_

_What? Kane? _

_The one and only..._

_How... How am I supposed to beat him without killing him?_

_Let me take over for a little while. I can make sure he doesn't get hurt, but is scared enough that he runs off..._

_But..._

"Akuji! Move!" Aradia shrieked as she stepped out of the Mystic Door.

Akuji, startled, looked up. Alex was thundering towards him, axe held high over his head. Caden grimaced as Aradia raised her fan to counter Alex's attack. "You will not interfere!" He snarled. He lunged towards her, Hellslayer brandished threateningly.

The polearm swung towards Aradia. Suddenly, time slowed. Akuji struck Alex with his bow, and prepared to shoot an arrow, and the Hellslayer was stopped by a Varkit. "Hey, it's not very gentleman-like to hit a lady without proper warning first!" Ryker taunted.

"You!"

"Me!"

"You beat me the last time we met, but this time... I will have your head on a platter!"

Ryker smiled. "Wow! You're really violent, ya know?"

Caden lunged at him again, and the Varkit seemed to flicker through the air. The two blades collided in a flurry of sparks.

Akuji let lose the arrow he held, and Alex smirked. "Power Guard!" The arrow rebounded off of him and embedded itself in Akuji's arm.

"Argh!" He yelled, blood flowing freely.

"Now you can't shoot your silly little arrows!"

"Akuji!" Aradia called and rushed over to him.

He stood weakly and pushed Aradia away. "Stay out of this Aradia!"

Aradia stumbled backwards and fell on the ground. She watched Ryker and Caden parry blow after blow, neither gaining ground. She watched as Akuji tried to fend off Alex without the help of his arrows. Suddenly, a deep, guttural roar sounded from the nearby trees. A man was thrown through the foliage and landed on his back in the center of the small clearing. Aradia counted at least eight Crimson Balrogs that followed him. "What the--"

"Aradia! Look out!" Ryker called. A heavy claw whipped through the air and knocked Aradia into Alex. He grunted and reached for his axe, which had landed just out of reach._ Ah... Now that is bad..._ The demon inside Akuji noted sadly.

_Well, what am I supposed to do?_

_Let me take control of your body, and I'll take care of it._

_Ok--_

Akuji was lifted off the ground as one of the balrogs picked him up by his head. To all but Akuji and Caden, the balrog spoke in growls, but they understood the language perfectly. "You are the one Lord Kronos told us of! We are to bring you back to him as quickly as possible!"

Akuji groaned slightly and they took this as affirmative. "Let us fly!" One of them shouted. They prepared to leave, when suddenly, Akuji began to glow. He was surrounded by a crimson red aura, and his body was changing slightly. His eyes (though no one could see them) were turning red. His fingernails were growing in length until they became almost claws.

Then, he spoke. "I shall not be accompanying you, balrog...," he murmured. "For your destination... Is hell!" The voice was soft and malicious. A hand rose up and gripped the balrogs barrel-like arm.

The balrog laughed. "Ha! One puny human trying to kill all of us? I find this highly amusing..."

Suddenly, Akuji's hold tightened on the arm, and the balrog screamed in pain. The arm was crushed and mangled as Akuji tightened his grip. Then, with his other hand, he easily, almost casually, grabbed the hand that was holding him up in the air. With a jerk, he ripped it off the balrogs arm and tossed it to the side. He remained in the air, floating. "Yes... It _is _quite amusing, isn't it?" Akuji sneered. With apparent ease, he threw the balrog into a nearby tree as it howled with pain and waved its bloody stump of an arm.

"A-Akuji!" Aradia whispered as she watched the bloody massacre unfold. Akuji leaped into the heart of the group of balrogs and whirled in a frenzied wind of death. The beasts crumpled before him. He was armed only with his hands, and the strange claws that had grown upon him. When all of the balrogs in the group were killed he floated serenely to the beast who had held him up.

The beast whimpered in fear. "Do not worry... I shall kill you nice... and slow...," He grinned sadistically. "Tell the Devil I sent you..." He pulled back his hand and plunged it into the balrog's chest. After a few moments and several screams of anguish from the monster, he pulled his hand out. In his palm was the balrog's heart, still beating slowly. With a smirk on his face, he slowly began to crush it. Aradia turned and began to vomit on the ground as Ryker uneasily patted her back, his eyes still transifixed on the gruesome sight before him. Akuji tossed the crumpled organ over his shoulder and wiped the balrog's blood onto the beast's matted fur.

Alex gaped in fear and shock. "Akuji? What have you become?"

Akuji grinned. "My name is not Akuji, brother. It is... Kane!"

Caden stepped forward. "Lord Kane, may I formally welcome you into the world of the humans. My master, Lord Kronos wishes to speak with you."

"So you work with that false Kronos as well? Hmph. Well, whats to stop me from killing you right here and now?" He floated towards Caden and gripped him around his neck.

Caden seemed to have no reaction. "If you kill me... my master will die as well..."

"Even better!"

A spasm of fear crossed Caden's face. "B-but, if you kill me... My master will not be able to summon your master into this world... He wishes to make a deal with you... Your services, for the summoning of your master."

Kane let go of Caden. "Very well. Take me to this... Lord Kronos of yours..."

The two disappeared. Alex crumpled to his knees. "What? What has Akuji..."

Ryker placed a hand on his shoulder. "I guess... We'd better tell you the story. I believe you have a story to tell us as well, about how you and Akuji know each other..."

Alex nodded. "Of course. But, if you would, please, you go first."

Ryker nodded. "Certainly. It started about a month ago when Akuji was going to the Dungeon..."

* * *

AN: Woah! I brought Kane back, for the people who've read the original version. That had more blood than I thought it would... But, eh, I think it turned out okay. Chase and Ayrill will make a return in the next couple o' chapters. I didn't just slip 'em in for fun... Please review! Reviews make the world go round! Well, actually, thats somethin' to do with inertia and gravity and... Ack! It's summer! I don't want to think about all that science stuff! My brain hurts... 


	17. Chapter 17

AN: -Cough- Okay. New chapter. New chapter... Errmm... I had this big speech lined up. Oh Belgium! Note that Belgium is a very bad word throughout the entire universe. Except on Earth. Yeah. Shows you how out-of-the-loop we are... To the story!

Attic-Window: Thanks! Yeah, I guess it isn't too long, but I'm planning on writing a bit more... maybe a sequel... Though I might just condense the two together. Yeah, Ryker is a cool name... As a small hint, the names I choose (besides Ayrill, I made that up off the top of my head though I'm sure has used it before... Dunno where though) have something to do with the character. Like Aradia means Goddess of Witches. And Ryker is Fast Strider. And... A couple of them have somethin' to do with what'll happen to them...

* * *

"Ah, Druce... It's good to see you again," Grendel greeted politely.

Druce smiled and bowed slightly. "Grendel! I haven't seen you since... Well, since I was going through this!"

"Indeed old friend. It's hard to believe we were both young enough to go gallivanting of into the horizon, searching for some adventure."

"Yes, that was before you became the Magician Elder. Old Hines used to get pretty mad."

"I can't believe it was that long ago... Athena and Dark Lord were still kids, and Dances with Balrog was still called Sitting Bull!" Grendel smiled.

Druce threw his head back and laughed heartily. "I remember when he got that title. We were out in the Dungeon, and we'd all had a little to much to drink---"

Aradia looked down into the lobby of the Magic Library. "Sir? Alex and Chase need some more healing, and its just a little beyond my range," She called down to Grendel.

The old mage looked up and smiled. "Of course, Aradia. I'll be up in a minute. Tell Dances with Balrog that Druce is here, will you?"

She nodded and headed back into a doorway. Druce sighed. "I still can't believe that you've all got apprentices now. These are hard times... I can understand you and Dances with Balrog getting apprentices, but Dark Lord and Athena? In our time, the younger Elders would just be starting to teach their potential apprentices."

Grendel smiled nostalgically. "Aye, but we had such easy times because of you!"

Druce looked away. "Yes... But it looks like this generation's hero is taking a different path than I..."

Grendel raised an eyebrow. "Maybe the hero isn't who we think it is..." They had reached the doorway Aradia had disappeared into. "Well, let's go in..." He threw open the door and Druce rushed to greet the warrior chief. Grendel's gaze wandered throughout the room, lingering on its inhabitants. Chase was lying in a small bed with Aradia wrapping a bandage around his head. Ryker sat in the corner, thoughtfully rubbing the blade of his dagger. Alex trembled in another bed beside Chase's. The old magician's eyes stayed on Alex the longest. The boy was not taking his brother's transformation easily. He barely eat, and he seemed to avoid talking to others. Grendel wandered over to him. "So, Alexei. Why did you desert the warriors?"

Alex didn't raise his head to acknowldege Grendel. "Because. I needed to prove myself. But... I did not want to show my skill to... those who would elevate me higher in the ranks. I wished to prove myself to my father... and Akuji... But mostly myself. I did not need a test to prove I could fight well. The true test, for me... Is to defeat my brother. But now, I doubt I will have that chance..."

Grendel nodded. "Aye. There is few who could best Akuji now, now that he is fully under the control of the demon. I suppose they told you the story?"

"Of course."

"Then you will know that the clans have been divided?"

"What?"

"We have... on our side... The apprentices of Dark Lord, Dances with Balrog, and myself."

"You mean... Akuji was to become Athena's successor?"

"Yes."

"And who is Dances with Balrog's apprentice?"

Grendel smiled knowingly. "That... is not for me to say. But you know him..."

The warrior chieftain walked over. "Grendel? Talking to my... student? That's more than I could do..."

Alex glared up at him. "I do not need your petty titles!"

The chieftain gazed sadly at him. "Of course you don't. Grendel, Dark Lord has just arrived and he says Athena was not far behind him. Apparently he didn't deign it upon himself to wait for her."

Grendel smiled and nodded. "Of course. Alex, if you will excuse me..."

Ryker tensed as he watched his teacher walk into the room. Chase trembled next to him. "Do... Do you think he'll be mad?"

"About what?" Ryker asked.

"Well, we didn't beat those balrogs did we? And we let the hero escape..."

"Ha! You mean the Emo Hero? We couldn't stop him if we tried. Listen, the first Akuji went ballistic like that, he took, like, this huge meteor to the head. And I mean, right on the head! I was like, wtf? Excuse the slang, but ya know, I've been hanging around those beginners. Ya know how they hate to say like, more than three words in a sentence? Well, anyway... Oh yeah, it looked like Akuji was blown up so I had to take on like 7 balrogs on my own! I killed a few of 'em... But then as I was leadin' them in a circle, to wear 'em out, right? Then Akuji pops up outta the crater and kills them all by himself! With only his hands!"

A hand clasped Ryker on the shoulder. "A mighty story... and if it's false... A mighty lie!"

Ryker tensed. "Sir... I say it's true. You may choose not to believe me, which I don't doubt you will."

Dark Lord straightened. "You are as cold as ever, Ryker. Chase, I see you are recovering well."

Chase inclined his head slightly. "Yes, Dark Lord."

Aradia walked over and greeted the leader of the Thieves Guild. "Dark Lord, Grendel and Dances with Balrog are requesting you accompany them to the front door to greet Athena. They say they will then decide what course of action to pursue about... Kronos."

Dark Lord nodded and moved away, leaving the young heroes alone. Aradia sank into a chair beside Ryker and Alex moved to a closer chair. Chase glanced around and coughed. "Eh... So what do you think they'll decide to do?"

Aradia shrugged tiredly. "Who knows... There isn't much in this world that can stop Akuji... Kane... and Kronos now. I don't think anything can stop Kane if his master is summoned."

Ryker nodded. "Yeah... Did you hear what Grendel said though? That the clans are divided?"

Aradia looked questioningly at Ryker. "No..."

"Well, he said we have the soon-to-be rulers of the Warrior, Thief, and Mage clans on our side. We know that Aradia's inheriting the Mage clan, and I have a sinking suspicion that I'm the Thief inheritor. That still leaves the Warrior clan... I wonder..."

Alex sighed. "It can't be me. I... Left the clan. When I deserted, I gave up any rights I had to become the next leader of Perion."

"Yeah, but you were preaching to Akuji how you don't need a title to know how strong you are. Maybe... Maybe Dances with Balrog is takin' a leaf outta your book, Alex! I mean, times are changing! It's possible... Right?"

Alex shrugged and Aradia frowned. Chase shook his head. "Well, it's no use to sit here and talk about what's going on. We have to actually do something! Not just wait for the people who are our betters to decide! That could take ages! I mean, seriously, they aren't personally involved in this war! Our Elders' time is over! This is our age, and our battle! I say we take things into our own hands, and not wait for old people to flush our world down the drain because they don't care what happens, because they're gonna die soon anyway!"

Ryker grinned. "That's what I wanna hear! Let's go! We'll take down ol' Emo Hero before he goes completely berserk!"

"But that still doesn't tell us how to do that," Aradia noted. "We need something that will help us get stronger..."

Alex looked skeptical. "What, like a legendary sword that can vanquish evil?"

"Or, maybe a holy force untapped that could just give us the edge..."

The four young people whipped around to face Druce. They had thought he had gone to speak with Grendel and the others. "Druce! We.. uh... weren't doing anything!"

"Ha! Ya know, that kind of talk would've been considered rebellion in my time. But... I agree with you. Too many times has the world been pushed to the brink of collapse because people took to long to decide what to do. Sometimes the best thing to do is to take action!"

Chase nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!"

"Now, that holy force I was talking about... Okay, it might not exist so don't get your hopes too high, okay?"

Aradia nodded. "Of course."

"It's told to be locked in some dungeon in Ossyria, guarded by the greatest heroes each clan had, reanimated."

Alex sighed. "Sounds a little too cliche, I mean, a fairy tale force that is locked away so it can't be misused in a dungeon in the farthest, coldest region of the world, plus, it's guarded by ancient heroes brought back to life. It doesn't seem realistic..."

"I know. That's why we should go after it. Because... Because reality... I really don't know how to explain it... But... Doesn't it seem cliche that a monster is trying to take over the world? Isn't it cliche, that the one thing that can stop it, is in the hands of that monster? Our safe, unique little world that plays against cliches is unravelling. We're beginning to live in a fairy tale, Alex. Our world... is becoming another story, another cliche that people dismiss as being far-fetched to possibly be real."

Silence reigned in the room as each person thought about what he said. Ryker grinned widely and stood. "Right! I say we snag this force or whatever and put the beat down on Emo Hero and his buddies!"

Aradia sighed. "Always the hopeless romantic, huh Ryker? Eh, sure, could be helpful. But if it's fake, we're in trouble. I mean we'll have wasted all that time and effort."

"I couldn't agree with you more, madam! I wouldn't have brought it up if I had the slightest doubt the rumors were false," Druce remarked, bowing dramatically. "Then, I shall assume that Chase and Alexei are in agreement?" The two nodded. "Then, we shall depart now. There is a ship leaving to Ossyria in a few minutes; if we hurry, we can make it."

Ryker looked surprised. "Wait! You're coming too?"

"Of course! Who else would guide you?"

XxX

Kane gazed at the dying sun. The sky was dyed a deep, blood red by the lingering rays of the blazing sun. Caden shuffled up behind him. "Wha--" Caden was cut off by Kane as he spun around and gripped Caden by the neck.

"Never follow me again! I shall know, and you shall know who it was that sent you to hell!"

Caden gurgled helplessly.

Kane released him. "The fields of my enemies shall match this sky when my master is summoned."

Caden looked fearfully up at Kane, then prepared to speak.

"Kronos wants to see me. Yes, I know. I am not the fool my human vessel was."

Caden nodded. "Then I shall leave."

"You are under Kronos's control, are you not?"

"Aye..." Caden answered warily.

"Hmph. Gullible fool. I pity you..."

Kane stalked off, leaving an awed Caden to follow in his wake.

* * *

AN: Okay. That got a little... Err... I dunno... in that conversation with Druce. Don't blame me, blame Neon Genesis Evangelion. I just watched to last two episodes... Jeez its weird. I mean, most of all the other episodes were action-y and what-not. But the last two are like... really deep... Anyway, please review. I appreciate it! And... and... and... and... Well, I dunno another reason to review... Oh! I got one! Welcome to... The Twilight Zone! It's like... gonna send a freaky gremlin/monster to rip off the engine of the next plane you go on... While it's flying! That's from Twilight Zone episode #123 (seriously) first aired October 11, 1963. Well, anyway, review pleeeeeeease! Oh, I forgot to mention: Hines is the Magician Elder in MapleSEA and Sitting Bull is the Warrior dude in MapleSEA. I just threw those in because I don't want to make up more names. 


	18. Chapter 18

AN: I'm just gonna jump right into the story, 'kay? Oh, the reviewers are down at the bottom this time. Oh, and everyone's wearing their lvl 100 sets, which just came out recently (at least in Global).

* * *

"Here, take these." Druce tossed a Purple Fairy Robe and Skirt to Aradia, who looked at it skeptically.

"These aren't gonna give us much protection..."

"They aren't for protection. The harbor is under the monsters' control right now. We have to get in by passing as weak prisoners." He tossed a Dragon Robe to Alex who caught it and deftly slipped it on over his Neos set (a recent addition to the Ellinian Armory). Aradia scowled at her new armor and walked into the adjoining room to change.

"Aww, Aradia! Aren't you gonna change in here? We're all friends right?" Ryker asked. A shoe flew through the doorway and struck Ryker in the forehead.

Chase looked surprised. "She'd make a good Assassin," He remarked.

"Quit messing around and get your new armor on!" Druce admonished as he tossed the two rogues a Stealer set for each of them. Ryker grinned and pulled off his Kattinas, earning groans from the other men in the room.

"Jeez, Ryker! Keep your clothes on! We don't wanna see that!" Alex called, turning his back on the thief.

"Yeah, yeah... Pish, don't tell me you guys aren't enjoying this!"

Aradia stepped through the door with her new clothes on, her Bazura slung across her arm. "I'd be surprised to find anyone who would be remotely interested in seeing you like that," She teased.

Ryker scowled and Chase looked questioningly at Druce. "Umm... Are we gonna get weapons too?"

Druce nodded. "Yes, but keep your stronger ones with you. If we have to resort to fighting, we'll need them."

Ayrill, Chase's younger sister burst through the door, panting. "If you're leaving, it's gotta be soon! Grendel's about to organize a search party! He thinks monsters abducted you or something," She informed them.

Chase glanced at her as he plucked a Adamantium Guard Claw from the rack on the wall. "Aren't you coming?"

Druce shook his head. "We need a small party for this to work, and I'm sure Grendel will be in need of some stronger people to help fight."

Ryker grabbed a Cass Claw from the wall and slipped a Seclusion Wristguard on. "Man, it's been a while since I've worn these. I've forgotten what its like to be weak and defenseless..."

Alex grabbed a Niam from the rack. "It is a little disconcerting," he agreed.

Aradia pulled a Circle-Winded Staff out and swung it as a test. "Alright, let's get going."

Druce handed out Bamboo Hats to everyone. "Keep those on. We don't want anyone to recognize you."

They trooped out of the store, their hats pulled low over their faces.

XxX

Kronos stood with his back to Kane. "Welcome, to my army."

"I'm not in your goddam army! I'm just here for you to summon my master. When that happens, you'll be one of the first to die!"

Kronos smirked. "I'm sure... Now, before I bring your master into this world, I need you to do me a favor..."

"And what does an arrogant megalomaniac want a poor demon want him to do?"

"There are those... opposed to my rule--"

"Ha! The entire human population!"

"I wish for you to... exterminate the ring leaders. Grendel the Really Old, Athena Pierce, Dances with Balrog, and Dark Lord... They are fated to die by your hands."

Kane nodded. "Whatever."

XxX

The harbor was unnaturally quiet as Druce, Aradia, Ryker, Alex, and Chase trooped past the entourage of monsters that greeted them as they meekly (though Ryker still had a bit of his old strut in his walk) walked by. Aradia had summoned a dragon to act as their warden. It floated along before them, keeping a fierce expression on its snout. Suddenly, a Jr. Balrog stomped in front of them. "Who are you? Why do you bring these... humans here?"

The humans couldn't understand this, but the dragon seemed to be able to interpret. It chirped in response and the balrog glared at them once more. For a tense moment Alex tightened his grip on the Niam tied in his hands and prepared for the imminent attack.

The balrog stepped aside.

They walked past and up the ramp leading to the huge, looming ship that towered over everything else in the harbor. Ryker glanced around, taking in his surroundings with a practiced eye. The harbor was almost as it was before the monsters had taken over, except for the piles of bodies to the side. Ryker scowled when he saw that the corpses were faeries, their wings crumpled and torn, their limbs splayed out in awkward positions.

Another balrog let them on the ship, carefully scanning their faces. Ryker tightened his hold on his Cass. If the monsters attacked, the beasts would be joining the faeries in hell. As the first did, the balrog let them past, though it seemed far more suspicious.

Druce fell to the ground, coughing wildly. The balrog leaned over and kicked the old man with a tremor of disgust. Ryker chose that moment to act, just as they planned. He swiped through the ropes holding him with ease and leaped towards the balrog. Throwing the Cass to the side, he slid his Varkit from the sleeves of his shirt. "Assaulter!" He bellowed. Flickering from view, he sliced through the Jr. Balrog faster than the eye could manage to follow. "Band of Thieves!"

The shadows rose from the ground and molded into the forms five rogues. They snickered and mocked the balrog in deep voices, darting from side-to-side tauntingly. Ryker nodded to them and they simultaneously dropped a coin. As one they called out, "Meso Explosion!" The coins glowed and burst into flames, igniting a stream of explosions that rocked the ship. The balrog was thrown overboard; its matted fur catching fire as it howled in anger and pain. The wind blew a huge dust cloud over the surrounding monsters and they retreated, beating at the air with wings. Finally, a Crimson Balrog rose into the air, and with a shriek of rage, blew the dust away with a single flap of his powerful wings.

Ryker waved merrily at them as Druce steered the ship out of the harbor. Alex climbed the main mast and released the sails as the sun burst from behind a cloud. Chase sighed and nimbly darted up to the crow's nest. "Sky's clear, Druce!" He shouted down. Druce nodded and they floated out into the open air to the angry jeers of the monsters amassed at the harbor.

XxX

Grendel watched the ship pull away with a sigh. He turned to Athena, Dark Lord, and Dances with Balrog. "As we suspected, Druce has taken them to Ossyria. No doubt, they wish to make use of the holy force hidden there."

Dark Lord shook his head. "And he's taken our best fighters..."

"Do... Do you actually think they will succeed?" Athena asked hesitantly.

"Yes."

"Oh."

"But you think it a fool's errand, correct?" asked the warrior chieftain.

"Aye... I doubt the force will be of help to us in this battle... I have no doubt they will succeed in locating it and managing to defeat the Guardians... but I do doubt they will be able to use it. They will most likely be destroyed from the inside..."

* * *

AN: Okay, now I'll talk. Umm... Oh, yeah. I'm probably gonna write a sequel, seperate from this. That is, unless I'm relatively satisfied with the ending, I might just end it with one big cliffhanger. If I get bored I'll write the sequel... Okay, reviews:

Cookie: Yeah, Kane's much mo' ebil in this one. When I introduced that he had a master, it kinda changed his character. I mean, he couldn't be the cold and distant butt-kicking demon who just wanted to cause as much hell as possible. Now, he's a evil servant who'll do anything to get his master summoned, which will cause a fair bit of hell... Yeah. Those two are practically the same, though we'll see a big change in Caden eventually... -Cough- And I can't say anymore than that. But I can tell you how I planned to originally end the story. Okay, Akuji's like totally under the demon's control, then BAM! Caden pops in, regains control and starts fighting Akuji and Kronos pretty much at the same time. Then... Err... I realized that's been done waaaay too much and changed it. Anyway...

Okay, please review! I mean... It makes those really rich guys, like Bill Gates, become humble, poor, and prone to bouts of noble give-aways. Oh, and they give all their money to me! Muahaha!


	19. Chapter 19

AN: I figure I might wanna add a dsicalimer here, so: I do not own MapleStory or any characters, towns, etc. found within it. Aaaaand... 'Ere's the story! Oh, there's a (relatively) big fight in this chapter, so you'll have to tell me if it comes out well.

* * *

Kane bent low over the body of one of Grendel's guards. With a grunt, he stood and kicked the body over, hiding the corpse's gruesomely vacant stare. Another guard was walking towards him. With inhuman speed, he leaped into the overhanging tree above the guard's head. The man looked around cautiously, then slowly continued his march. He had scarcely gone a pace when Kane dropped from the tree and broke the guard's neck without a sound. The demon hurried on, avoiding a trap concealed in the dead leaves that littered the ground. The leaves were another safeguard: Anyone who walked through the area would have to crunch through the leaves, alerting the guard's attention almost instantly. This had no effect on Kane however, as he could float through the air close to the ground, moving as if a shadow. The next guard that wandered across Kane's path met the same end as the first two, and it was this way that Kane slowly gained entrance to Grendel the Old's sanctuary.

The Library was positioned high above the rest of Ellinia, giving it an almost omniscient view of the town. Kane moved with the shadows, his Blue Arzuna giving him extra camouflage. The huge arch that formed the entrance to the Magic Library loomed ahead, invisible if not for a guard's lantern that lay forgotten on a simple wooden chair. Kane treaded carefully towards the entry, wary of any unseen traps. The place was deserted. He rapidly moved through the entrance hall towards the main lobby, where he knew Grendel frequently meditated. The room was empty however, so Kane moved on. The small rooms on the staircase to the highest room proved empty as well. Kane's suspicions were confirmed when he heard voices coming from Grendel's own room. "We'll have to make do without them..." A voice whispered.

A conversation was occuring between Grendel and, Kane estimated, three other people. He only caught snatches of the talk, but knew that his job would be harder than he originally thought. Athena Pierce, Dark Lord, Dances with Balrog, and Grendel the Old were all in the same room; his prey had made it all the simpler to finish his objective. _It'll be harder to kill them all if I have to fight them at the same time... I have no doubt I'll win, but it will come at a cost..._ He thought uneasily. Shaking away the fears, he crept up the stairs, closer to the room.

"Aye, but we'll have to..."

"Indeed."

"Heh. I have to say..."

"What?"

"We have a visitor..."

The door was flung open before Kane could retreat. Four figures filled the doorway. "Kane, so good of you to join us!" Grendel cried.

Kane snarled inarticulately and lunged at them, striking all four with one sweeping attack. They were knocked through the wall, Kane following in pursuit. They landed in the center of a small square, surrounded by houses and buildings all around. Curious mages appeared at doors, looking for the cause of the disturbance. Kane's eyes began to glow a crimson red and a barrier began to rise between the startled villagers and himself. The four Elders were trapped within, searching for a weak point through which they could escape. "You won't find an escape route...," Kane muttered softly.

Dark Lord pulled a Varkit from an inner fold of his robe. "Then we'll just have to kill you, maybe then the barrier will disappear. If not... oh well!" Dark Lord lunged, his face screwed up in a snarl of intense hatred. Kane stepped to the side as the thief flew past. One of Kane's claws shot out and snared Dark Lord around the ankle.

"You're too hasty!" Kane swung the thief high into the air and slammed him into the ground. Dark Lord coughed, blood dribbling from his lip. Kane repeated this countless times until Dark Lord was unconscious.

Athena gaped at the hideous show of strength. "Kane! Let him down!"

Kane smirked at her. "Hmm... No." Kane threw Dark Lord into the air, then leaped up after him. As Dark Lord fell, Kane met him in mid-air. Kane extended a claw that caught Dark Lord in the chest-- and didn't stop. It went straight through the thief's body with a gruesome, sickening sound.

Athena fell to her knees in horror. "God... Akuji... What has happened to you?"

Suddenly, Kane began convulsing wildly. "Ack! Athena... help! It's... It's Akuji! The demon... is... Ugh!"

Athena stood and took a tentative step forward. "Akuji? It's okay! I'm here! I'll... I'll get Grendel to exorcise the demon from you..."

"Thank you... Athena..." Athena placed a hand on Akuji's shoulder, then, when there was no resistance, enveloped him in a tender hug. Grendel watched in awe as Athena comforted Akuji. Then, he heard words that would echo in his head for the scarce remaining length of his life. "But I don't need the help of a mortal!"

"No!" She groaned as Kane cut cleanly through her body. Athena Pierce's corpse fell to the ground with a soft thud. Blood dyed the ground crimson, and as Grendel fell to his knees, it stained his pure white robe.

"Dammit!" Dances with Balrog leaped forward, a Devil's Sunrise in his hands. Kane turned and caught the blade between his hands. With a light tug, he broke the sword cleanly in two.

"That's what I'm going to do to you next... I like to vary my kills... I gored Dark Lord, cut Athena in two, and I'll break you in half..." Dances with Balrog croaked in horror as Kane lunged at him and punched him in the stomach. Grendel heard a crack as his friend was blown away, landing at his feet.

"Grendel..." Dances with Balrog coughed, and to Grendel's horror, blood trickled from his jaw. "Grendel... You have to ger out of here... You're the only one left... You have to lead the survivors now!" Dances with Balrog became silent.

"No!" Grendel cried.

Kane laughed cruelly. "Yes, so sad! Such a tear jerker... I think... I think I'm going to cry! I need something to cheer me up... Yes, I know! I'll kill you... Nice... and slow..."

Grendel scowled at him. "You speak hollow threats, demon. I shall avenge my friends!"

"A noble effort, I'm sure. But I'm afraid you will fail, if you try..."

"Die!" Grendel lunged forward, lightning sparking at his fingertips. "Lightning Spear!" The electricity formed into a single shaft of energy, coming to a sharp point. Grendel threw the spear at Kane. The demon stepped aside and caught it as it soared by.

"Magic... Such a quaint thing... So powerful... But so easily turned against you..." Kane reared back and threw the spear back at Grendel.

"Dammit!" The wizened mage cried as the spear struck his left arm. It continued through, leaving a sizable hole in his arm. "This wound won't stop me! Heal!" The wound closed quickly, surrounded by a green aura.

Kane sighed. "Then this battle will have to carry on for awhile... Until I take your head off... That should keep you from casting spells."

"Shining Ray!" Grendel bellowed. A single shaft of light pierced the clouds and burst through Kane's barrier. It pierced Kane through the midriff, causing him to shriek in pain.

"A... holy spell... A demon like me finds these rather... trivial... I have evolved over the weakness to holy spells, Grendel."

"I don't doubt it. But even you shall die from a powerful attack, holy or not. Explosion!" The space within the barrier erupted in a fiery blaze. Grendel quickly cast a defensive spell around himself while he watched Kane burn.

"This is getting to be troublesome, Grendel. You're friends were just as weak as they were before, so many years ago... But I see you, at least, present a sizable challenge!" Kane appeared in the fire, eyes blazing and his clothes smoking. In a casual gesture, he wiped the ashes from his sleeves and advanced menacingly towards Grendel.

"Seal!" The mage called. A box, engraved with ancient runes, formed around the demon.

"This shall not hold me forever, Grendel..."

"I don't need it to hold you forever... Ice Strike!" Huge pieces of ice cascaded from the sky, descending upon Kane. The demon held up his arms in defense and the seal around him shattered, just as the ice struck him. "May you rest in peace, Akuji..." Grendel sighed as he turned away. The spectators grouped around the barrier gasped in shock. Turning, Grendel looked upon the scene that unfolded behind him.

Kane rose slowly from the pile of ice that had once covered him. "Pathetic, Grendel. I expect more of you..." Kane lunged forward and swiped through the air with his claws.

Grendel leaped backwards as the attack neared him. Kane cursed and attacked again, missing. "Lightning Spear!" Grendel threw the spear at Kane.

Kane tripped as he tried to dodge the attack. He watched as the spear, as if in slow motion, embedded itself in his chest. "Ugh!" He groaned as he stumbled backwards, grasping the magic weapon. The spear slid easily out of him, dyed crimson from his blood. "That hurt, Grendel..." He muttered. With no apparent exertion, he threw the spear at Grendel. The spear pierced Grendel's leg, pinning him to a wall.

"Dammit..."

"In a bit of a fix, Grendel?" Kane walked slowly towards the trapped wizard. "I can help you..." Kane raised a hand and energy began to form in his palm. "Good-bye, Grendel. Say hello to your friends for me!" Kane thrust his hand forward and the energy surged outward in a huge stream. An inhuman scream was heard from miles around as the energy tore through Ellinia. In the line of fire, a searing line of destruction was wrought. When the smoke cleared, there was no demon, no Wizard Elder, and no barrier. The spectators dropped to their knees as they watched some of the more productive citizens gather remains of their leaders.

* * *

AN: (Prepares for the hail of tomatoes) Hi... Am I going to die a horrible death by how easily and quickly Athena, Grendel, and everyone died? I had to do that to show the difference in power of Kane and the real Kronos (the demon one) when he comes around. Anyway, reviews are welcome, and I'm prepared for several lengthy reviews about how I should suffer... 


	20. Chapter 20

AN: Okay, chapter 20. Yeah... Anyway... Soo... I obviously haven't been mauled by angry fans of A) Athena Pierce B) Dark Lord C) Dances with Balrog D) Grendel the Old E) Any combination of A, B, C, or D. F) All of the above. I was never very good at multiple choice questions... I'll go with F because that's the letter my teachers always wrote on those weird cards they sent home every so often and my parents would read it and shake their heads sadly, then my mom would burst into tears and my dad would go cut himself and I'd overhear my mom planning on selling me to the gypsies and my dad would like try to push me offa buildings but I'd land in a lake and I'd survive and then this guy came and talked to me about my feelings and I asked him if he's Michael Jackson and he said, "Maybe!" and I said "WTF!" and then I drove the guy insane and he took a metal wand-thingy and said a magic word and then it went BOOM! and he fell down and red kool-aid came out and I tasted some and it was disgusting and this is the biggest run-on sentence I've ever written. DON'T STARE AT ME! TO THE STORY! Oh, and has anyone noticed that the ships in Maple float? So, what do you do about that whole anchor thing? I mean... Ah, whatever. Oh, due to the staggering amount of asking (Cough -No one- Cough): I play on Broa and I have a lvl 2x (Soon to be) I/L Mage named Zainek and a lvl 30 Hunter (KaosKaiser). The mage is lvling quickly soo... I had a lvl 40 sin but I scrapped him.

* * *

Ryker groaned in agony and banged his head against the wooden wall. "This has got to be the most boring thing I've ever done!" 

Aradia sighed and ladled a portion of soup into his bowl. The ship rocked as the high winds roared through the skies. "Ryker, we've been on the ship for like three days. We're almost there, just... Calm down, okay?"

Ryker looked incredulously at her. "Calm down? I wish something happened and I had to calm down! I'm so frickin' booooored!"

Alex looked over at him as he paused for breath. His spoon was discarded and he held the bowl up to his lips. "Ryker you gotta--" He stopped to slurp more soup. "Ya gotta just find somethin' to do! I mean--" Another slurp. "Chase is having fun trying to stay on his feet up in the crow's nest with the winds and--" Alex completely lost his focus as he refilled his bowl and set back to wolfing down the food. "Man, Aradia! This has got to be the best soup I've ever tasted! If the mage thing doesn't work out, you could be a world-class chef!"

Aradia rolled her eyes. "Thanks. I could tell you liked it when you had your twelfth bowl."

Chase burst in the cabin, looking dizzy and disoriented. "You guys should feel those winds! It's like getting beaten to a pulp by a Crimson Balrog while you can't do anything! Hey-- Where's the soup?"

"Alex ate it. You guys are all going stir-crazy! Ryker's bored out of his mind, Alex is eating every edible thing in sight---"

Alex burped. "I think something unedible too..."

"And Chase is getting waay too excited! I can't--"

"Land ho!"

XxX

Druce looked into the horizon at the approaching landmass. _Grendel.. Please... Forgive me... I fear you may be dead already... I hope these children forgive me for--_

"Woah! There it is! Ossyria! I haven't seen it like these in... ever!"

Aradia cast a look at Chase. "Haven't you ever been on deck when you came up on Ossyria?"

Chase smiled. "Nope! Ya see, I always manage to land on the ships with all the weak people on 'em. So, I can't really take on two Crimsons by myself!"

"Whatever..."

"God! Finally! Hopefully now we get some action..."

"When we arrive, I want you all to head directly to the tower. No stopping, go straight there!" Druce called over the strengthening winds.

"Why?"

"Don't question me! Do as I say!"

"Fine!"

The ship stopped, docking at the harbor. "Go! Now!" Druce called. Aradia, Ryker, and Alex leaped out into the air, landing safely on the ground and sprinted towards the huge landmark that was Orbis Tower. Druce followed behind them, casting searching glances over the desolate surroundings.

"Druce? What the hell happened here?"

"The monsters have taken over Orbis. I just hope El Nath isn't like this..."

A primal roar tore through the town. Druce snapped his attention to ahead of them. Several Yetis were thundering towards them; heads thrown back and arms pounding their chests. "Holy hell!" Ryker screamed as he veered of course.

"Keep running!" Orbis Tower loomed ahead; the heroes ran faster, putting more and more distance between them and the hordes of monsters now following them.

Ryker wrenched open the door and dived through, followed by the others. A Yeti, a Pepe sitting in a leather harness attached to the monster, held a huge snowball in its grasp. Soon, more Yetis appeared with huge snowballs. "I don't think they wanna start a snowball fight..." Ryker called.

Druce looked back at him as they descended rapidly down the huge stone steps that led to the bottom of the Tower. "Keep going!"

"Dammit! They're gonna throw it at us...!" Chase called up from his position at the rear.

"Screw this!" Ryker called. He leaped into open air beside the stairs. "Flash Jump!" He bellowed. He sped through the air, straightening his body to increase his speed.

"Ryker! You idiot, what's gonna happen when you reach the ground?"

"Dunno, don't care! I'm not gonna get smothered by some stupid snowball!" It was at this moment that the Yetis simultaneously dropped their loads. The snow clumped together forming a huge boulder.

Druce let out a groan of frustration. "We'll have to drop! We won't outrun the boulder..." Druce leaped into the air and mimicked Ryker. Alex shrugged and followed suit, falling next to Chase as he made his jump.

"You guys are all crazy!" Aradia called as she stopped to look at the huge boulder crashing down toward her. "Fire Arrow!" A fiery arrow shot from her fan and struck the boulder dead-center. It quickly melted, creating steam that blinded the Yetis up above. "Ha! See, now we---" The hot water that came from the snow boulder swept her up in its current as it surged past.

"Nice Aradia! Now we have a cushion to land on!" Ryker called as the water overtook him.

Druce cast a worried look at the stone steps that the water was bearing them towards. "We'll be smashed up against the boulders if we continue like this!"

Aradia waved her Hinomaru Fan again. "Mystic Door!" A huge door opened before them, swallowing them up in its depths. The door reappeared just above the ground level of Orbis Tower. The five heroes fell from the doorway and landed safely on the ground.

"Aradia! Why didn't you do that before? That would have saved us alot of effort, ya know!" Ryker yelled indignantly.

"Eh... I didn't think about it..."

"Enough. Let's get to El Nath before any other monsters come along."

XxX

"I did that... job you sent me to do..."

Kronos straightened up. "Yes. I must congratulate yo--"

"I do not need your pathetic congratulations! Just summon my master and let me kill you."

"Ha... So hasty! We will see who gets killed... But I have prepared the summons. Soon you will have your wish..."

"Which one, you dead or my master summoned?"

"As blunt as ever, Kane."

* * *

AN: Was it okay? Next chapter: Druce and the gang meet up with the El Nath residents and immediately head out to search for the 'holy force' (cough cough) Oops! Did I put that in writing...? Ehh... Well... Review! 


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Okay... Chapter 21... Errm... Okay, I don't own MapleStory except for my characters. Okay... on to the story! Oh... Yeah... Errrm.. Whatever...Attic-Window: Sorry... Yeah... He died... Thanks! They kinda all died so that sucks... But it had to happen for what I plan...

* * *

_What the?_ Caden crouched in the underbrush as he watched the scene unfold. Kronos stood to the side as seven mages (they had been put under Kronos's control) chanted in deep, gruff voices while they circled a crude round table. Kane was strapped to this table, a smug expression on his face. Kronos tossed a dead Pig into the air over the table just as the mages finished their chant. Red energy arched through the air and met at the corpse. Kane convulsed on the table as a roar tore through the area. Caden held his hands to his ears and found that a small trickle of blood was coming out of them. "I summon thee! Kronos, the true creator of Oblivion!" The balrog bellowed.

Kane stopped squirming. "You... You summon me? Me? You who have stolen my name as your own?"

Kronos seemed to quake in fear, but then righted himself. "Yes! I summon you to do my bidding!"

Kane stared straight at Kronos. "You may come out young mortal..."

Caden caustiously crept out from his hiding spot, earning a glare from Kronos.

"Balrog! I will show you my power! Then... Then you shall be afraid..." Kane smiled. Caden noticed that the demon's forefinger twitched. Suddenly, the seven mages standing in the circle evaporated in a pink vapor. The table distentegrated, though Kane stayed in the same position, floating in the air.

Kronos shivered and took a step back. "Such power..."

"Yes. And now you die, namestealer... doppleganger... fool!" Kronos fell to the ground, huge pieces of meat sliding off his bones and hitting the ground with a sickening sound.

"What the hell..." Caden mumbled.

"Did you not see me move?" Kane whispered from behind him.

Caden stiffened. Kane had moved behind him with almost inapparent speed. "I... I pity you. You live trapped in your mind by that pathetic balrog. But... I do not pity you enough to allow you to live." Kane placed a hand on Caden's neck. "Good-bye..."

"No...!" Caden coughed as Kane squeezed tighter. Caden's skin began to ripple, tremors racking his body. Invisible worms raced along under his skin and his eyes shriveled as blood poured from his sockets. His face darkened to a burned black and his clothes burst into flames. Thousands of cuts appeared on his body, opening in seconds and widening until his skin was entirely gone. The muscles below rippled and burst, spraying Kane with a coat of crimson red. The bones cracked and broke apart, leaving only shattered remains of the once proud warrior.

Kane dusted the ashes from his hand and surveyed his vessel's body. "A good choice of a body... I thank you Kane... No longer does this body belong to Kane... Now... I am Kronos! Ruler of Oblivion and True Heir to all other realms!"

XxX

"Welcome, travelers. I--"

"We have no time for this Scadur. Take us to the Holy Ground."

"Another team after the holy force?"

"Indeed. Direct us and we shall be gone from your village. We do not wish to impose upon your--"

Ryker clenched his fist. "Dammit! We don't have time for eloquent greetings! Something's happening back on Victoria Island! I can... feel it..."

Druce glanced sharply at Ryker. "Very well. Lead us onwards Scadur."

Scadur lead them solemnly through the quiet winter village of El Nath. "Through those gates... Just trek over the hills and you will see the Holy Ground. I wish you luck in your quest."

"Thank you."

As Druce lead his fellows over the hills, Scadur shuffled into the nearest bar. As he ordered an ale, an old man approached him. "Did you see off those travelers?"

"Yes, Alcaster. I... fear... We will not see them again."

"Aye... We have lost many in the current of that false quest... Though why Druce was with them... He should have warned them that--"

"Druce often goes out of his way to prove his points. There's no telling what his business here is..."

XxX

The black obelisk towered over Aradia's head as she gazed open-mouthed at it. Ryker leaned over to her and said, in a mock whisper, "Hey, Aradia... You're drooling...!"

Aradia snapped to attention and tried to subtly wipe her mouth on her robe. "S-Shut up Ryker!"

"Guys... Pay attention. Something important is going to happen..." Druce called softly. The others gathered around him. With a shaking finger, he reached out and traced a complex figure on the dust on the obelisk.

"Okay... Drawing stuff in the dust is important... Hey, can I write my name?" Ryker asked in a falsely cheery voice.

The figure Druce had drawn suddenly started to glow intensely. "Druce... What's going on?" Alex asked cautiously.

"Just reach out and touch it." He commanded.

Alex touched the stone and watched as Aradia, Chase, and Ryker mimicked his actions. "Forgive me..." Druce whispered.

"What? Why should--" Ryker blacked out; the last thing he saw was his friends falling to the ground.

XxX

"Druce... Why have you returned?"

"My fellow... travelers... wish to recieve the holy force."

"Why did you not--?"

"Where? What? Druce? What're we... Where are we?" Ryker asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

Aradia stood and looked around the cold, stone cavern and gaped at its residents. "Holy... You're... You're Robeira!"

The robed mage looked cooly at Aradia from under her hood. "I know. Druce... Childern... This way."

Ryker bristled with anger. "Who the hell does she think she is? Calling us children?"

As he walked by, Alex put a consoling hand on Ryker's shoulder. "Don't worry about it Ryker. Just show her up when we have to fight."

The robed heroes led them down a dim corridor lit by gnarled torches. "This way..." A woman in a magenta robe asked. She had a bow tied to her back and her hands, grasped behind her back, seemed to always be darting to it then quickly returning to their original position.

A huge doorway loomed before them. The bowwoman stood before it, while her fellow guardians walked swiftly through. "This is where you will be tested. If you manage to beat us, you may recieve the holy force. Since you have no bowman among you, I shall act as your... guide... Alex, Tylus will test you first. Please step through..." She gestured towards the doorway and Alex, nodding, obediently strode through the doorway.

"Good luck!" Aradia called.

As Alex walked through the massive doorway, a strange sensation hit him. He became acutely aware of the oppressive space that the room beyond took up and the overwhelming darkness that resided beyond. He shook away the feeling and strode on to meet his opponent and wager his life for a force that he was beginning to believe was inexistent.

* * *

AN: Okay. Relatively important chapter... I haven't updated in a while... I'll update sooner this time. Feel free to review...


	22. Chapter 22

AN: Ooookay! This is the 22nd chapter... There's atleast one fight in this chapter... If I feel nice I might put two... On to the story!Attic-Window: Yeah.. Yeah... He died... He was kinda cool... Errrrr... I wouldn't know about the whole cute thing... I will update sooner, I just got into this whole race thing to see who could level faster on MapleStory.

* * *

Alex strode through the darkness, his axe hanging loosely by his side, though it was obvious that he his entire body was as taut as a bowstring, ready to strike, or counter-strike, any attack that might be made. A figure emerged from the darkness; Alex was sure he saw tendrils of shadow reluctantly relinquishing their hold on Tylus. The orange robed man reached behind him and grasped his sword by the hilt. With agonizing slowness, he pulled it into view, revealing a Devil's Sunrise. "I dare say that I hope you will prove a challenge. All the other challengers are... Lacking... In skills," muttered Tylus. His voice, though quiet, resounded commandingly throughout the vast room.

"I'll prove to be more of a challenge!" Alex snarled as he lunged forward, his Clonian Axe whipped out from its casual position. Tylus held his ground to the charging Crusader, his bearded face kept skillfully out of sight as to shroud his expression from view.

"How... eager..."

The Devil's Sunrise arched almost gracefully through the air and caught the axe on its blade. Tylus, still with one hand behind his back, parried Alex's blow with minimum exertion and leaned forward and struck Alex. The sound of metal clashing against metal resounded through the area as Alex moved his axe with lightning speed to intercept the blow. Tylus shifted the attack and attacked from the side. Alex gritted his teeth as the blade bit into his armor. "Argh!"

"Hurts... Doesn't it?"

Alex roared in fury and swiped at Tylus's face. Alex's fist caught the ancient warrior hero under the jaw. With a grunt of pain, the hood fell from Tylus's face, revealing a pale but fair face that denoted a rich bloodline of nobles. "What the hell?" Alex called wildly as he viewed the hero's visage. Tylus's eyes were blank, the pupils having faded to a dingy white. There was no color in Tylus's eyes. They were the eyes of a dead man. Taking Alex's temporary distraction as an advantage, Tylus swung his Devil's Sunrise, aiming at his opponents head...

XxX

_You are the human to whom this body belongs... Correct?_

Yes...

I see Kane did not fully take control of your mind... You could have stopped him when he massacred your elders.

Yes...

Why did you not?

They... They did not help me... They assumed I was content with them... With their rule... With their advice. When my brother defected, I realized the faults of their rule. They supressed us with the meaningless ranks, gave us false satisfaction by training endlessly and turned us away from taking time to think... To think about our government.

I see. You decided that a new government might benefit your world.

Yes...

So you went along with the attacks... That was a dangerous plan. If that balrog's take on the government had been... worse...

I could have killed him easily. With Kane's help, who also harbored a goal of Kronos's death.

You would have teamed up with Kane, killed Kronos, then shunted Kane from your mind.

Then I would have taken the government upon my own hands.

That was reckless. You could have lost your entire world to the balrog's hands, had you failed.

Then the fate of the world was out of my hands. I would be dead, so the world's state would not affect me.

But your plan has succeeded... partly. 

So you do intend to change this world into the next hell...

Yes.

As I said, I don't care what happens to this world now. It does not affect me.

Hmph.  
  
XxX

The Devil's Sunrise landed on the ground beside Tylus. Alex's Colonian Axe rested threateningly on Tylus's collarbone. "Submit."

The ancient hero's eyes widened slightly. "How'd you--"

"Submit! Or I will kill you!"

"I... I submit..."

Alex limped away, one hand clutching his wound and the other dragging his axe. Tylus looked awed, then backed away into the shadows. Aradia gaped openly at Alex as he walked past. "Alex! That was amazing! How'd you do that? One second you were about to get your head cut off by Tylus, the next you were asking Tylus to submit! You moved too fast to see! I mean... What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Aradia! You're test is next. You are facing Robeira. I wish you luck. You will need it."

Aradia nodded numbly and crept through the massive stone doorway and into the shadows. "Hey Aradia!"

She turned to look at Ryker. "What?"

"Don't lose."

Nodding again, she continued into the shadows, her fan at the ready. "Begin!"

Aradia whirled around just as Robeira hissed into her ear. Aradia waved her fan and a sharp piece of ice sprang through the air at Robeira. She brought her hands up protectively and a force field appeared around her, blocking Aradia's spell. But Arada was on the move. She teleported behind Robeira and flung a thunder spear at her unprotected back. "Dodge that!"

The spear passed through Robeira completely, earning a piercing scream of agony from the ancient mage. Then, she faded from sight, leaving only a vague outline in the shadows. "You must see through deceptions... You have much to learn..." Robeira appeared behind Aradia. "Explosion!" She cried, making a complex series of hand-signs. The air suddenly burst into flames. Aradia quickly teleported back, but was not quick enough to escape the explosion.

"Dammit!" Aradia landed on her feet several yards away. Her breath was shallow and quick, signs of exertion showed on her face. I can't keep this up... Aradia waved her wand and a bubble of poison shot from it, speeding towards Robeira. With a smug look, Robeira ducked as it shot passed.

"How... pathetic..."

Aradia teleported in front of Robeira when she was distracted. "Poison Mist!" The bubble burst and a thick, poisonous fog erupted around them. Robeira quickly covered her mouth and nose with one hand. Aradia grinned and raised her wand again. Making a sign that looked like she was shooting a bow, she shouted, "Fire Arrow!" A fiery arrow sprang from the Hinomaru Fan and pierced Robeira in the shoulder.

"Argh!" The ancient mage shrieked.

Aradia made another sign. "Holy Arrow!" This arrow struck Robeira in the opposite shoulder, inducing a similar cry of pain.

"Enough!" Robeira bellowed, her normally high-pitched voice becoming deep and guttural. With a single sweeping motion, she made the earth rise up and envelop Aradia's body. "I can move the ground with a single motion! You have no chance of defeating me!" Robeira slowly raised her hands, and as she did this, Aradia and her rocky coffin rose to match them. "Die!" Robeira dropped her hands after they reached their maximum height.

Even as she plummeted to her doom, Aradia smiled. "I don't think so... Slow!" A green aura enveloped her. The fall was slowed considerably. As she gently landed on the ground, her eyes pulsed white and the earthen sepulcher burst. Aradia sprang from the rubble, her fan waving wildly through the air. "Shining Ray!"

The seconds ticked by and nothing happened. Robeira cast her gaze wildly in every direction, searching for the oncoming attack. Aradia crouched on the ground, panting slightly as she held her bleeding side. 

Suddenly, a deep rumbling reached the two mages ears. Then, the entire ceiling split and a massive beam of light, spanning the entire room, spread from one wall to the other. Robeira shreiked in fear and anger. The light enveloped Aradia without harm; it began to advance slowly towards Robeira. She raised a hand in defence. Arec appeared and grabbed the ancient mage around the waist. "Arec! Let me go!"

"Assaulter!"

The two disappeared and reappeared next to Aradia, safely inside the light. "Robeira submits!" Arec called to her. "Dispell it!"

Aradia nodded and waved her fan again.

Robeira writhed angrily in Arec's grip. "Let me go Arec! I do not submit!"

"You've seen her power, she is obviously ready to wield it!"

Robeira looked repulsed by the man holding her. "This battle is not over until one of us is unable to attack!"

Arec began dragging her towards the door. "Aradia, congratulations. I'm sure your master will be proud. Robeira! Quit squirming! You would have been torn apart by that spell!"

Druce looked down. If he were still alive...

Aradia shuffled along a good way behind them, wary of the angry guardian who at any time might decide to continue the fight. Arec dumped Robeira on the ground beside Rene. "Chase, your test is next. Ryker, I'll face you afterwards."

Chase nodded dumbly and followed Arec back into the room. Alex settled himself in-between Aradia and Ryker. "Hey... You know who Arec and Robeira remind me of?"

Aradia shook her head and Ryker grinned wryly. "Nope, but I bet you're gonna tell us."

"You and Aradia."

"They do not!"

"I mean, by how you act. Aradia always wants to keep fighting, but Ryker knows when to quit, and Ryker sometimes has to carry you off... Maybe you guys are descendents from those two..."

Druce looked down at them. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were. Many heroes could trace their bloodline back to these four and their comrades, sometimes even farther back."

Arec turned to face Chase. "You're an assassin right?"

He nodded.

"Cool. I'll test you on your assassin skills. Don't worry, I won't use and bandit skills... Let's begin!"

* * *

AN:Another chapter... See, I got two fights in there! And a thought-conversation between Akuji and Kronos (and I mean the demon Kronos...). Okay... So... Feel free to review... It makes me happy! Yay! Happy.. happy... Okay, it doesn't make me happy. Well, kinda but... Anyway... Review please... 


	23. Chapter 23

AN: Another new chapter... I don't own MapleStory and I'm not getting paid for writing this.

Attic-Window: Thanks... I always worry my fight scenes are a little too boring. Ryker is pretty cool...

* * *

It was over in seconds. In a single, lightning-fast move, Arec had pinned Chase against the wall and placed a knife to his throat. "Submit!" He hissed vehemently, completely in contrast with his former laid-back, almost humorous attitude only moments before.

Chase's face whitened to a color that matched the gray ash that lingered on graves. He seemed to wither physically. "I... submit..."

Arec released him with a sneer on his face. "You are not worthy to wield the power that resides here. Leave!"

Chase's eyes faded. Weakness fill his heart in an instant, but in that same moment, a defiant fire erupted deep within, emboldening him to stand and face Arec fully. "Screw your 'holy force!' I don't need it..."

Aradia's gaze hovered near her feet as Chase stalked by. "Chase..."

"Don't say it! Aradia... Tell Ayrill... Tell her... I'm sorry. And... That I still keep by my promise, no matter if I lose this stupid force."

"Chase."

Chase turned to face Alex, who had shouldered his axe and was blocking the path. "Alex... Move."

"Not until I've told you something."

"Fine! Lord it over me that you're better than me!"

"I'm above that... I know how you feel, Chase. Remember, I too was turned aside. Grow strong, without the permission of your betters."

Alex stepped aside and Chase walked past. The group turned away from him. Aradia suddenly broke her silence. "Are we just going to let him leave?"

"Yes."

"But he's still our friend! We can't just let him walk off into the wild!"

"He can take care of himself."

Chase turned and looked back. "Aradia, I'm not welcome here. I need to train... El Nath... Appeals to me. It's harsh and unforgiving... One wrong step and I'm dead... This is what I need..." With those final words, Chase strode on, soon fading from view.

"Ryker, your turn."

XxX

"Begin..." Arec breathed softly.

Ryker immediately brought his Varkit up to protect his face as Arec dove at it with his own dagger. The attack bounced off his defence harmlessly and Ryker dove forward to begin his own onslaught. The blows were deflected by Arec, who yawned tauntingly. "Band of Thieves!" Thieves poured from the shadows and began to help attack Arec.

"Mediocre move. Band of Thieves!" Arec sneered. More thieves appeared from the shadowy recesses of the room and joined the onslaught. The room was a maelstrom of furious battle, alive with the glint of steel in the air and the buzzing of the daggers. In the middle of it all, Arec and Ryker dueled in mid-air, neither giving quarter or relenting in their raging attacks.

Aradia gaped openly at the mad pace of the battle. "How can they move that fast?"

"It seems... Dark Lord taught Ryker well. He's holding his own against an opponent who had Chase beaten in seconds. That's pretty impressive..." Alex mused quietly.

The summoned thieves were fading away, leaving only Ryker and Arec, still battling with a ferocious intensity that matched that of two starved wolves fighting over the last scrap of meat. Arec shifted his weight, allowing him to slide beside Ryker, who was still stabbing at Arec with wild energy. With a quiet laugh, Arec slipped underneath Ryker. Druce watched the airborn battle with a mixture of fear and awe written across his face. "Ryker's finished now. He's let Arec get inside his defences. It was an amazing battle though. I've never seen one so... intense."

As Arec prepared to strike Ryker from beneath, the young hero smiled. "Shadow Web!" Arec froze, his limbs stretching to the point of pain.

"That's a Hermit technique... But... You're a Chief Bandit..."

"I am? I never actually said that did I?"

Arec looked stunned and struggled vainly in his bonds. "But... you wield a dagger... And you used Bandit skills..."

"So?"

"How... Nevermind! It just makes the battle all the more interesting!" Arec, with an almighty wrench, twisted out of the web and, in the same movement, pulled out his claw. "Avenger!"

The massive shuriken flew swiftly through the air toward Ryker. Nonchalantly, Ryker fitted a Casters onto the hand not holding his Varkit. "Avenger!" Ryker tossed his own giant shuriken at Arec. The two shuriken collided with a metallic screech. Ryker's cut cleanly through Arec's attack, meriting a loud gasp from the ancient thief. Arec writhed wildly in the air, just barely dodging the attack.

"Dammit... He's alot stronger than I thought... Assaulter!" Arec appeared beside Ryker, his dagger raised threateningly.

As the dagger cut through the air towards Ryker, he raised the hand wearing the Casters. Snagging the blade just above Arec's hand, he deftly flipped the dagger, relinquishing Arec's grip on it. The ancient thief grinned. "Too slow!"

"Wha...?"

A thief, recently summoned by Arec, leapt from the shadows. With a grunt of exertion, the thief kicked out at Ryker, landing a strike on his abdomen. Ryker crashed to the floor, groaning slightly. Arec was there, tossing Ryker into the air and slamming him against the wall. "You're finished! Any last words?"

Ryker smiled. "Not really. Here, some mesos for the... interesting battle." Ryker slid a coin into Arec's hand.

"Anything else?" Arec asked, slightly thrown off by Ryker's stranged behavior.

"Yeah, one thing more. _Meso Explosion_!"

The coin began to glow brightly as Arec's eyes widened. Before he could throw it away, it exploded, creating a huge dust cloud and gusts of high speed. Rene slammed the door shut just as huge pieces of earth collided with it. Aradia gasped. "Woah! How's Ryker going to survive that?"

Druce sighed. "He was rather impulsive. I doubt either of them will survive."

Alex let out a single bark-like laugh. "But you have to admit... He has style."

Rene tentatively opened the door. "I believe the fight is over... Alexei, Aradia, please come with me."

As they strode boldly into the shrouded room, the dim outline of a person carrying another person came into view. Ryker shuffled from the dust, dragging along Arec. Upon seeing Rene and his friends, he promptly dropped him to the floor. Arec groaned softly. Rene signaled to Robeira, who hurried over and dragged Arec away. "Hey, guys. How's it goin'?"

Rene sighed. "You have passed your test. Please follow me and I will lead you to your next opponent. This time, you will all fight simultaneously." She led them towards another door. "Through here is your next opponent... Zakum!"

* * *

AN: Alright! How was the fight? And... uhh... Was the next guardian kinda easy to guess? Well, feel free to review... Oh. Was Chase's departure too short? Well, he's gone for the rest of this story. But... He may make an appearence in the sequel, which I am certainly gonna write. I got inspiration for it so I'm gonna write it. Anyway, please review. YOu can also tell me whether or not I should write a sequel... 


	24. Chapter 24

AN: Alright, new chapter. I'm gonna keep this note short, but here's a slight head's up. Depending on how long this chapter is going to be, this may be the last chapter in the story. I am writing a sequel... Which I may title Demon's Wake. Maybe not, but I'm still brainstorming ideas for the story. And... uhhh... Part of the fight against Zakum doesn't really happen in the game, I know... But how long can you draw out three people using attack after attack after attack against it? So... Hope you enjoy the fight...

Attic-Window: Well, Chase isn't gonna be in this chapter (and this one might be the last, but if not, the next one will be the last chap.), but you will find out more about him in the sequel, and a bit about his sister too.

* * *

Zakum was a rocky monolith with rugged edges that gave it an almost formless appearance. A jagged mouth was barely perceptable at the middle of the main body. Six arm-like appendages extended from the body. Deep-set eyes glared out heavy brows made of boulders. Ryker looked skeptically at it. "What the hell? We're fighting a... statue?"

Rene shot an icy glare over her shoulder. "It is not a statue! It is the final guardian of the holy force. I must tell you, only one person has gotten past this stage."

"Who was that?"

"No one. Adobis, please summon Zakum."

"But I thought--"

"Ryker! Shut up!"

"Yes, Aradia..."

Rene smiled inwardly. "I wish you all good luck..."

Ryker turned to reply, but was struck dumb. A thin needle of something... Something vast and unimaginably intelligent. "Argh!" Ryker fell down onto his knees as Adobis cast a blood-red stone into a fire burning at the foot of the massive statue. The fire flashed a deep blue and Ryker lost consciousness, the image of Aradia and Alex falling to their knees with expressions of extreme pain engraved upon their faces burned upon his eyelids. _I must look like that..._ He thought before fading from reality.

XxX

In the midst of darkness, light shines; a tiny ray of shimmering hope that, though small, brings inconcievable strength to those normally weak. Ryker bathed in the light of ever-present hope. The shadows surrounded him, waiting for the chance to strike. With a jolt, he drew a connection between his surroundings and his past. Always, he had been hated by those who had yearned for his lofty position beside Dark Lord. Always, Dark Lord considered him better, letting him live in the light that cast shadows for others. He had been hated... Always...

XxX

Screams tore through the tattered remnants of Aradia's mind as she struggled to throw off the memories that plagued her night-time wanderings in the realm of dreams. She saw a yougn girl float in the air, tears flowing freely down the blank face. The tears fell from her face, only to be evaporated instantly by a strange power lingering around the young girl's petite frame. A woman, older than most but by no means ancient, crawled towards the girl. "Dear... You must control it..."

"NO! DON'T COME CLOSER!" The girl shrieked, terror writhing in her wavering voice.

"My dear... Do not let your power control you..."

"GET AWAY! GET AWAY!"

The woman drew closer, earning another shriek from the girl. Energy began to draw from the girl's body as she spasmed in pain. The energy began to center around the woman. "Child! Keep your control!"

"NO! I... CAN'T!"

Then energy began to distentegrate the woman. As she faded from life, she spoke a single word, "Aradia..."

XxX

Alex sat solemnly in the center of a small ring of light. "You cannot tempt me from this light."

A small child crouched in the shadows beyond. "But... Alexei... Please... Help me..."

"No. I believe you should help yourself. It builds self-confidence."

A woman took the child's place. "Alex... I always loved you more... Come to your mother..."

"Ha! You weren't even around to see my third birthday! You deserted us, Mother!"

The woman scowled heavily. "I tried to take you with me... But... Your father--"

"Stopped you from killing me as well when you took the path of a deranged psychopath."

The woman changed to a tall boy. "Hello, brother."

"Ah. Now we get to the true show..."

"Are you that cowardly that you won't leave your little light?"

"No."

"Is Awexei afwaid of the dawk?" The boy asked in a babyish voice.

"Not quite."

"Then why won't you face me? Come, Alexei. Show me how strong you are..."

XxX

The scorn poured into his body through every pore in his body. Spasming in pain, Ryker sparratically swiped the air with his Varkit. "Dammit... Show yourself..."

"We're here, Ryker... We've always been here Ryker. Just in the shadows... Watching... Waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"For the almighty Ryker to fall... To fail..."

"Why?"

"We of Kerning hated you. Always, you were lorded above us. Your superior skills... Your seeming perfection. We resented you..."

"But... they... they all..."

"They all pretended to like you, in order to put themselves in a higher position to Dark Lord."

"But..."

"Accept it... You were hated."

XxX

"You were feared, Aradia. You could kill anything... And you did. You had no control over the powers that ruled your mind."

"I couldn't help it... I couldn't help it..."

"You killed all those who attempted to help you. Do you know how many times you nearly killed Grendel?"

"I couldn't help it... I couldn't help it...!"

"All those close to you were killed. Ellinia was a place of terror because of you. Your only friends were the dusty pages of the tomes you so desperately clung to..."

"I COULDN'T HELP IT!"

XxX

"C'mon, Alex... Take me on... No holds battle... Just you and me... No Tatum... No Dad... No one to interfere..."

Alex took a long look at the doppleganger. Shouldering his weapon, Alex took a step into darkness.

* * *

AN: Eh... Cliffie. I guess. I decided to put another chapter. If I don't finish the story by next chapter (which I most likely will), there will be just one more chapter. Uhh... Okay. Another head's up. There will be just about NO fighting against Zakum. I'm putting a different spin on Zakky... Anyway, feel free to review... If you don't I'll tie you to a chair and eat cookies in front of you! Muahahahaha! 


	25. Chapter 25

AN: Okay, last chapter... I said there wouldn't be any action, but I changed my mind. Like I said, I put a twist on Zakum, so he's no longer the six-armed rock that smashes everything.

Judgement Flame: Thanks alot! Well, when I first think about it, I don't think many people died. But then, I think about it more, then I realize that, yeah, alot of main characters died... And more will be kicking buckets soon...

Cookie: Woah... You were on a trip? I thought you had deserted me... Sniff Only joshin' ya! Man, I love saying that... I know people have lives outside of MapleStory and I reeeally have to get me one of those... Social life... Hmm.. Newfangled teens and their newfangled terms...

* * *

Aradia writhed in her mind, shrieking with agony as she tried to exert control over the memories she had fought so hard to suppress over the years. As her pain worsened, a stirring in her mind strengthened. A pressure that was always there, always on the edge of her conciousness, always a slight irritation that nothing could lessen, grew to such forces that she felt her mind quake in fear and pain. _Yes! Finally! I shall return to the world... I shall regain my reign of terror..._

_NO!_

_YES!_

Aradia shivered again. Letting loose a piercing shriek, she felt energy leaving her body; the once almost limitless supply of strength was gone. She felt as though she were only a dry husk of the once powerful mage. Turning her blank stare upwards, her eyes fell upon a young girl. Her hair twisted around her head, almost forming a sadistic halo. Fighting down her fear, Aradia stood to face the one enemy she never defeated...

Herself.

XxX

Ryker tightened his grip on his dagger as he whipped through the air, slashing at any piece of flesh he could find. The huge beast made of shadows loomed before him; an ominous representation of everything he feared. Roaring an insane battle cry, Ryker leaped into the very heart of the darkness that surrounded him, still cutting with all his might.

The omnipotent monster laughed harshly. "You won't be able to defeat me that way Ryker..."

"Shut the hell up!"

Ryker continued his mad onslaught; driven by rage, he no longer had any thought besides the destruction of the monster that had held him back for so many years. His anger heightened as the beast kept laughing. "I said... SHUT THE HELL UP!"

With a inhuman leap, Ryker was airborn, flying straight towards his opponents face. Ryker's eyes took on a beastlike quality as his anger manifested itself in anyway possible. His energy was reshaping his body; soon he had claws upon his hands and his teeth were sharpened to points. The monster paused as it looked upon Ryker's ferocity. The man was still soaring upwards to reach the impossibly high height of the monster. "I'll kill you!"

XxX

Alex watched as Akuji wove in and out of sight, leaving a path of a small trickle of blood. "Akuji... You cannot harm me."

Akuji paused for a moment, thrown off by Alex's statement. "What...?"

"I cannot even safely call you Akuji. You are a manifestation of my hatred for my brother."

"Stop talking and fight!"

"But that's what you want me to do, isn't it?"

"Well, I would assume so... I mean, I just told you to fight me..."

"You want me to fight, because the longer I fight, the deeper I delve into the recesses of Zakum... Correct?"

"You are talking nonsense! Let us continue!"

"No... Am I right in assuming Zakum doesn't exist?"

"Shut up!"

"You are an afteraffect of the insence used to 'summon' Zakum, correct...?"

"Damn you! Shut the hell up!"

"Then I am right in assuming that I am in fact unconcious and delirious?"

"SHUT UP!"

Alex raised his axe. "That's exactly what I won't do... You should know that. I would hope my own brother would know that..."

"No!"

Alex swung his axe hard at the ground. Akuji howled with rage again. As Alex watched, the image of his brother became twisted and distorted. "Good-bye, Akuji."

Alex awoke.

XxX

Aradia shuddered as she looked upon the visage of the raw energy that plagued her body. "Aradia... Move out of the way."

"No..."

"Move if you do not wish to die..."

"You will not escape my mind..."

"Move Aradia!"

"No!"

"Then I will exterminate you..."

XxX

"Die!" Ryker snarled as his dagger wove a web of biting steel through the shadowy flesh of his enemy.

"Yes, Ryker... Hate me... Curse me... Harness your hatred to me... Let it consume you..."

"Shut up!" Ryker renewed his assault.

"Yes... Yes..."

"Just die!"

_Stop Ryker..._

"What...?"

_The monster is using you... Take control of your emotions! Zakum is just--_

"Pay no attention to it, Ryker! That is Zakum! He weaves a web of lies..."

_Ryker!_

"Ryker!"

_Believe me Ryker... It's all an illusion..._

"Ryker! Do not believe it!"

_Ryker..._

"Shut up! Dammit... Dammit! Leave me the hell alone!"

XxX

Aradia was rooted to the spot, her mind writhing in fear. Her counter-part loomed over her; magic forming in her hand, words a breath upon her lips.

"Stay still Aradia... Your fear will be gone soon..."

"No..." She moaned, trying desperately to move.

"You will see Aimee soon... So soon..."

Memories hit Aradia like a tsunami. The name sent her reeling in the past.

_An old woman shook slightly in her age, smiling down upon a young girl. Aradia realizes that the younger girl is herself. She's looking upon her memories, as if she were just a passing witness. 'Aimee... Why do you stay by me?'_

_The elderly woman's expression softened. 'Because you have no one...'_

_'You shouldn't stay with me... You should run... Like everyone else...'_

_'No, no... I could never do that...'_

_'Why?'_

_'Because... You are our future... You have the greatest potential of all... What you just said proves it. You are compassionate; you care about others, placing their well-being above your own...'_

_'Like I'll ever get to use those skills... Everyone hates me...'_

_'No... I don't hate you...'_

_The scene changed._

_'Aimee! Run! I... Can't control it!'_

_'Aradia... I will always be by your side...'_

_'No!'_

_'Aradia... Control your powers... I know you can...'_

_'AIMEE!'_

Aradia shivered from a nonexistent breeze. Her counter-part still loomed above her, smirking slightly. "Lost in the past, are we? Well, atleast you can dwell there after you lose your place in the present and future... I give you one more chance... _Move_!"

Aradia suddenly snarled vehemently. "I will not be controlled by you!"

"Then die!" The attack fell upon empty air. "Ah... Decided to move at the last minute I see..."

"You are an abomination of my past! Return to where you belong... In my memories!"

She struck her counter-part as it howled in anger.

Aradia awoke.

XxX

Ryker clenched his Varkit hesitantly. "Who do I believe?"

"Ryker... People will accept you if you defeat me... They will finally look upon you with pride..."

_Ryker!_

Ryker glanced up. "I don't care what people think! They can go screw themselves for all I care!"

He threw his Varkit at the monster, then shuddered, and fell to the ground.

XxX

Druce gently raised Ryker onto his shoulders. "Ah... You all passed. Nothing less than I expected."

Ryker looked blearily up at Rene, who was surrounded by Aradia and Alex, both of which wore grins that matched the triumphant feeling rising in their bodies. "So when do we get this holy force?"

Rene sighed. "You don't..."

"What? We passed the tests though!" Aradia called angrily.

"Yes... But... There is no holy force..."

Ryker and Aradia looked shocked, though Alex wore an oddly smug look. "Just as I thought."

Druce raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes. When they said only one person had passed the tests, I figured it would be the one person who seemed to know so much about it... Druce."

Druce nodded slightly.

"But if Druce had recieved the power, then he should be able to defeat Kronos. But he led us to El Nath, and played the charade the guardians have been playing for hundreds of years."

Ryker suddenly stood to his full height. "You knew, and you didn't tell us?"

"Aye..." Druce seemed to shrivel.

"You led us on a wild goose chase across Ossyria! You preached about action, but you just made us waste time!"

"I had to prove that sometimes, action isn't the best choice. It can be rash sometimes..."

"You took us to Ossyria, while Victoria Island is being ravaged by a demon!"

"Yes..."

Ryker lunged at Druce and pulled him by the collar into the wall. "Bastard! You were working for Kronos the whole time weren't you?"

"No... I had to teach you a lesson..."

Ryker dropped the old man in disgust. "Damn you! Alex, Aradia... Let's go home."

XxX

The ship docked quickly and quietly. Leaping from the helm, Ryker landed gracefully on the harbor dock. He surveyed the devastation with dismay. "Dammit!"

Aradia crept up beside him. "My god... What have we done?"

Alex looked on in silence as Aradia began weeping openly. Through clenched teeth, the warrior spoke. "We have to find the other survivors. I doubt Kronos has destroyed Maple Island... We can rebuild there..."

Ryker punched the ground angrily. "No! Dammit! I'm not leaving Victoria Island! It's my fault this happened... It's going to be me who rebuilds it..."

Ryker strode off, away from his friends, towards isolation and self-hatred.

The desolation of Victoria was complete.

* * *

AN: Alright! LOST IS FINISHED! Woooooh! Sweeeeeet! Sequel comin' soon! Errrmm... Peace out... 'Til next we meet! Oh, the story won't be out until I get back from a trip, so that's probably about a week. Laters! Oh, feel free to review. I'm thinkin' the sequel might be called like Demon's Wake or somethin'... Feel free to submit ideas for titles... 


End file.
